ShapeShifting
by Shadowfang901
Summary: Beast boy is someone that no one really knows anything about, and when he leaves the Titans, things go straight to hell,but what happens when he's forced to return because of his niece, and I dont necessarily mean to the Titans...
1. New guy

Beast boy figured it out, Robin was insane. It explained so much. The reason he always wore a mask, or why he was an obsessive butt whenever Slade or anything pertaining to him was mentioned, or when he couldn't tell that the Tameranian was head over heels for him, why he seemed to enjoy training at ungodly hours of the morning…You know little things. A snarl escaped his overly happy, unusually hyper face. Remembering the cage Robin had been oh so_gracious_ to let him out of.

Everytime he walked in a room, he could smell Robins uncertainty, his disbelief that Beast boy could handle something that powerful without being put into a cage, or being forcefully strapped down. Oh-Robin hid it well enough, but his scent gave him away. Beast boy wasn't an empath like Raven, but he could tell the emotions of a person, and the fact that Robin didn't believe that he could handle anything that wasn't a cheesy joke or stupid punch line was….insulting.

He growled at the bots in the training course, shifting forms, letting his face morph into a snout, and his hands lengthen into long elegant paws. His wolf form was one of his favorites, and he couldn't use it as much as he liked, but oh well. The things a hero has to sacrifice.

He lunged at the bot clamping his powerful jaws down hard, and hearing the satisfying crunch of dented metal. He jumped off, and dodged an oncoming beam of fire. He sighed dismally, and morphed into a hawk, and blinked as his whole perception changed, and the world zoomed into piercing clarity. He jumped into the air, and flew several hundred feet above the training grounds, and did a swift three-sixty dive bombing at an alarming speed towards the course, wings tucked in.

In a split second he changed shapes before he hit the laser bot, and his feathers shrank into finely striped pelt. He extended his claws and brought them all the way through the machine, before he switched to a different feline, and as a cheetah he raced to the end of the course, and turned off the program. He felt better, maybe now he won't be tempted to shred Robin….maybe.

Beast boy entered the hallway, and Cyborg's scent drifted to him. He glanced up, and there he was staring at him quizzically. "Dude since when do you train…"He checked his arm, one of the many gadgets on there had to be a clock. "At two pm, I mean seriously, usually we have to threaten or blackmail you to train."

Beast boy gave a casual shrug. "Since Robin decided training was the greatest thing since tofu, and decided if I'm doing something else it could be…what was the word he used…counterproductive…and I absolutely refuse to get bathroom duty again because wonder boy has a stick up his butt."

Cyborg grimaced in sympathy. "Look B, I know Robins been running you ragged, keeping you busy, and you know… basically making your life hell, but he's just worried about you, you know?"

He snorted. Yeah. Worried. That's not the word he was thinking of.

Cyborg suddenly smiled. Big. Beast boy flinched, and an equally large smile forced its way onto his face. What was he thinking and what poor sucker was his victim?

"Cy what-"

He was cut off by the emergency signal.

* * *

It was a new villain, completely new, unheard of new, like where the hell did you crawl out off you freak in spandex new. The guy had went in and out of a chemical lab, and we couldn't tell what he'd taken, but we were gonna find out.

We followed him over buildings, he moved with skill and grace… and a sneer that was pissing me off.

Robin on his cycle was getting steamed. This guy was fast, and if we didn't catch him there was gonna be hell to pay. Starfire and Cyborg were fine, and I was assuming Rae was too. He stopped…Why? What villain stops with five opponents on his tail. Whatever lets just take this moron down I wanna go home.

The thief turned and faced us, he was masked….huh, big surprise. He was covered in a bout of silver and black, and he had a pair of wicked looking gauntlets. You could tell he was smirking even with the mask.

"So you're the Titans…I thought you were you gonna be you know…challenging.

"And we thought you were gonna be… you know more malicious, and less…gay."

Oh yes Raven was in a good mood. The thief frowned. "You're really mouthy for a chick."

Beast boy didn't have to scent the air to know Raven was pissed. "Call me a chick again, and I'll personally shove my foot-"

"Raven." Robin was giving a warning, Beast boy could understand. If Raven actually did loose her temper, which rarely happened any more. This guy would find out that no force on earth would help him.

" Friend thief would you consider 'the turning yourself in' to the police?"Starfire questioned hopefully.

Thief man laughed. "Not a chance babe. Would you consider going out with me?"

He heard Robin growl angrily, and Beast boy groaned. He had to go there didn't he?.

"Titans go."

The guy smiled eerily, as we all attacked. This couldn't be good. I turned into a lion, and lunged, and Starfire fired bolts. Raven held him down, and Cy shot sonic blasts at him, and Robin threw yellow disks. There was a huge eruption, and Beast boy was thrown back, and Dude the ground hurt!

Beast boy rolled, and peered through the smoke. The thief was standing there, smirking, unscratched, and completely fine. Bastard.

His laugh echoed through the air. "You guys have entered into a game in which you can't win, except by losing. After all if I have all your powers, all your skills how do you hope to win."

He smiled cynically before going through a change. His hands lengthened into claws, and his eyes slitted dangerously. He had turned into a panther.

Robin wasted no time, and rushed him. He flew into a round house kick, and was met by a sharp pair of claws. They made a jagged slash across his chest, and would hurt like hell later. Robin crouched and kicked out with his legs, and was knocked back by a mechanical arm. The asshole had copied Cyborg too. Robin was beginning to see the point. How were they gonna beat this guy?

Raven reached out with her powers wrapping them around him, and was met by a backlash of power, not her own, and got knocked out. Starfire's starbolts were sent back at her. This was freakin ridiculous. How were they suppose to beat someone when they couldn't get a hit in.

Beast boy had stopped attacking all together, and was watching the fight critically. They couldn't win. Shit.

Robin snarled in anger, and was about to lunge again, but was knocked over by a blur of green.

"Get the hell off of me Beast boy."

"No" Beast boy looked at the others who were looking at him in astonishment. "We can't finish this."

Robin was livid by now. "Beast boy he's going to get away."

"Let him."

The thief himself interrupted. "Well what do you know? One out of five has sense. Well it's been fun, but we're gonna have to play later…hmm. You know…when bird boy grows a brain."

A black aura surrounded him, and he was gone.

Beast boy watched with narrowed eyes, and slowly let Robin up, who deliberately turned his back to him.

"We're going back to the tower." His voice was ice.

* * *

_Later_

They had gotten back, and Raven was taken to the medical bay, and was being monitored by Cyborg. Robin hadn't said a word the whole way back, and as soon as they did get back everyone magically disappeared but Robin and Beast boy.

"You let him go."

Beast boy rolled his eyes. "Yes, and if you had been thinking straight you would've too."

"I was thinking straight. I was thinking we should capture this guy, and send him to jail where he belongs, but you wanted to be the coward you are and retreat."

Beast boy looked at him disbelievingly. "You have the gall to call me a coward. I faced a freaking demon from hell with this team, I beat the brotherhood of evil. No thanks to you. I faced you when you decided that being an obsessive freak is cool. I would die before abandoning this team out of cowardice, and yet the only one who has a problem believing that is you."

Robin's face darkened considerably. "And you wonder why that is. You act like an untrustworthy idiot, with less than half a brain. You're incredibly fickle, and all you care about is making a nuisance out of yourself. You don't pull through when we actually need it. You're weak, and unpredictable. The only time you've actually shown potential was when you didn't have control."

Beast boy stared at Robin, seething in anger. " You know what Robin if I'm such a problem why did you even let me on the team?"

Robin glared back. "A small lapse in judgement. One that I'm fixing right now. Your off the team. Give me your commnicater." He held his hand out.

Beast boy shook his head, and took it out dropping it in his hand. "Regardless, I'm staying till Rae wakes up."


	2. Flames

Raven's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up, a minute later she was sincerely sorry for moving. Pain laced through her body. Everything hurt. Scratch that everything _burned,_and it wasn't that-oops I tripped that kinda hurt type of thing. It was more like oh my god I got run over by a bus, why aren't you calling 911 kind of hurt.

She wanted to groan in pain, and confusion, but stubbornly bit her lip. Images whisked in and out of her head, causing a slight migraine. Oh yeah. That's right, that guy had slammed her into a wall…somehow with the backlash from her own freakin powers. Bastard.

She sighed, and closed her eyes, mentally berating her lack of control. Getting angry wasn't going to fix anything, but it would feel oh so good to just beat something into a bloody….ok getting sidetracked. Um, so where was she again? She silently peered around the room, and stared nonsensically at the white walls…Um…Asylum. That can't be right her friends wouldn't do that. Her eyes finally came to rest on her green team mate, sleeping on the table beside her, before dismissing him…..

Wait…What the hell? What was Beast boy doing here? She hesitated, and slowly placed her hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake.

"Beast boy…." She shook him harder.

"Beast boy….."

She gave a small smile as her hand was surrounded by a fluorescent black light, and Beast boy was lifted high enough to touch the ceiling, and then without so much as pausing, she cut off the flow of power, and he hit the ground with a thud.

He yelped, and Raven grinned sardonically.

He stood up slowly. Emphatically rubbing his head, and glaring at her. "Was that really necessary?"

Raven gave a nonchalant shrug, wiping her face of any emotions. " I tried to be nice, but apparently you seem to respond to violence better."

Beast boy rolled his eyes, and looked ready to respond but then he just…deflated. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes looked…dead.

Raven's eyes narrowed, at Beast boy's sudden change in demeanor he's not seriously insulted is he? She opened her mouth and to her annoyance the alarm went off.

They all met in the control room, Raven still studying Beast boy out of the corner of her eye. He looked out of place, no, not out of place, out of character. The emotions rolling off him were unusually strong. He was more than a little angry, and even a little afraid. She didn't understand. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Cyborg's voice.

"Rae-," She glared at him. "ven, you really shouldn't be up yet. Even with your abilities there's no way your completely healed yet.

She gave a very unlady like snort. "Cyborg if anyone knows how much I can take, it's me so do me a favor and don't worry about it, ok."

Robin apparently chose then to intervene, before Cyborg could reply. "It's fine Cy we're gonna need her for this one anyways."

They all looked at him expectantly. "We're dealing with a fire. An unnaturally big one. Titans." He looked at each one of them in turn, his gaze lingered on Beast boy, and a feeling of foreboding coursed through her. "There are people in there we have to get them out. The fire is by now to strong to even attempt to save the building itself. We're gonna find the source of this fire, and we're gonna make sure _no one_ dies."

And then of course. "Titan's go."

* * *

They all arrived to the sight of the biggest fire they've ever seen. It was a large set of condos, in a ghetto area of town, which explained why the fire fighters weren't there yet. They weren't even in the damn building yet, and they could already feel the ferocity of the fire. Cyborg said what they were all thinking "Shit."

Robin knocked over the nearest fire hydrant, drenching him in a fountain of water. He ran into the building not two seconds later. He traveled up the stairs, cursing as he went. He hoped with every ounce of his cold compassionless heart that almost no one was left in this building. He took another step, and time seemed to freeze. The stair had collapsed.

He reached for the jagged end of the remaining stairwell, and flinched ,as he felt it slice through his hand. It hurt like hell. He glared at it, and slowly pulled himself over up over the ledge.

He wasn't coming back down that way again. He walked slowly up the rest of the way, and was bowled over by a sleazy short bald headed guy, who was coughing up a lung.

" Help me…you have to….help…"

Robin grabbed his arm, taking on the brunt of his weight. One down god knows how many to go.

* * *

Starfire flew up through the lobby, drenched in quickly evaporating water. This wasn't good. She's never been particularly good with fires, sure she can shoot green bolts of it out of her hands, and eyes, but that didn't make her immune to getting burned.

She wished at this point, that she had Beast boy's abilities to simply sniff out the victim, or hear him with attuned senses. She would gladly trade powers with him. She sighed, growing anxious. Her gaze snapped forward at the cry of young child.

She increased her speed. Where was it coming from? She circled the hallway shoving open the door, and ignoring the pain her now fried hand was experiencing. A young woman was crouched in the corner, holding a small child to her chest.

Starfire's heart constricted. Where would these people go after they saved them? She flew silently over to them, picking them up like they weighed nothing. They were all getting out of this stupid, demented building.

* * *

Cyborg ran into the basement he was making one trip. That was it. He didn't have the juice for prolonged exposure to this damn heat. His mechanics were heat and water resistant, but he wasn't invincible, and wasn't gonna kid himself into thinking otherwise.

Speaking of kids…..

"What are you doing you homicidal midget?"

The midget in question turned away from the game he was playing at the sound of Cyborg's voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Playing Mega Monkey's 6"

Cyborg looked at him dead panned. "Do you not smell the smoke, or are you seriously not aware that this building is on fire, and could possibly collapse at any minute?"

"Who cares? I'm about to beat the high score."

For the love…was he this much of brat when he was thirteen. If so he's surprised his parents didn't put him up for adoption, or sell him on ebay, or any combination of the two, just to mix things up.

Cyborg scratched his head, and grabbed the kid's shirt collar, and nonchalantly threw him over his shoulder.

"Put me down….Beep….you sorry piece of…Beep"

(_I'm sorry this part is edited)_

Cyborg rolled his eyes, and a song randomly popped up in his head. He decided What the hell, and sang along.

"_Everybody was kung fu fighting…._

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos"

Raven contained another blow of fire as she flew past. This smoke was messing with her brain. Cyborg was right she wasn't ready for a mission.

She sent out her awareness, stretching her senses to the fullest. Someone was there, on her far left. She hovered slightly before a shadowy vortex appeared enveloping her in a black prism.

Raven reappeared pulling slowly out of the portal in the ground, and terrifying the hell out of the person she was suppose to saving.

"Ah..ah…" She watched slightly amused as he trembled, and scrambled away from her, in complete terror.

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-o—u-u….."

She sighed in exasperation. Amusement gone. " I'd be so much more impressed if you talked in complete sentences."

He took another step back, shaking his head.

She rolled her eyes, and grabbed him, incasing him in black energy so he wouldn't accidentally hurt himself.

"Unless you wish to know the new definition of fried chicken I suggest we calmly leave using the nearest exit hmmm….

* * *

Beast boy charged up the nineteenth set of stairs, on the nineteenth floor. He was tired, and cranky, and he was gonna murder the architect of this building. He had settled for his wolf form earlier, since, even though _technically_ at this point he couldn't sniff the under side of his butt if he wanted too, the wolf was built for stamina and endurance, and combination that he needed at this point.

He padded through the double set of doors, and listened intently through any sign of life.

"In here..Help…Please"

He froze, and swung his head to face the speaker. He lunged through a door knocking it off its hinges.

There in the middle of the room was a little girl. He couldn't see her clearly. A. because of this damn smoke, and B. because a mess of brown hair outlined her face, hiding her features. He could see she was covered in dirty rags, and bruises covered the majority of her tiny frame.

He took one step forward, and the ground rocked unsteadily beneath him, nearly knocking him over. He growled annoyed, and forced his paws to remain steady despite the stability of the building . He nudged her gently with his nose. They needed to get out of here now. The whole fucking building was coming down.

The small child ran one hand slightly through his fur. "You came…"

He wanted to smile, and say yeah he did, but then something kicked him in the head. This brown headed little girl hadn't said anything, and yet somehow he was able to hear her.

Robin smiled as Raven finally showed up. She was the last one to arrive, and he stared as a young lanky man stumbled out of the portal with her, and looked like he was about to cry. Good lord what did Raven do to him?

She walked silently over to them.

"Friend Raven why did that man…How do you say it 'Look like someone had just threatened to cut his jewels in half."

They all turned to stare at her disbelievingly.

Cyborg gaped at her. "Star do you have any idea what you just said?"

Starfire turned to him confused. "Did I not say that gems of value were to be demolished, and that man would weep in sadness for loss of their worth?"

"No…" Robin grimaced .Where did she hear this crap? That's it .HBO….Yeah. bad idea.

Cyborg snickered.

"Guys…where's Beast boy?"

Robin turned to look at Raven. Since when did she pay attention to Beast boy? Cyborg opened a compartment in his arm, and pressed a series of buttons.

"Yo, B come in." Cyborg's face twisted in confusion.

"B- answer if you hear this come in…"Cyborg look of confusion was slowly turning into worry. "Guys he's not answering his communicator."

"No freakin duh Sherlock." Raven growled.

Looking quickly at Cyborg, then back at the building, feeling disconcerted.

"His communicator is back at the tower."

They all turned to look at Robin. Cyborg was the first to ask a question. "Well if you knew that why didn't you remind him to bring him it with him…"

"It wasn't necessary. He doesn't need it"

Raven's face was one of absolute horror. Obviously she had figured it out. "You didn't…."

Robin glared at her "Didn't what? Speak up Rae."

Raven's face slowly morphed into one of controlled fury. "You jackass….You actually took him off the team didn't you?"

"He was a liabil-," He wasn't allowed to finish, a wave of black magic wrapped around him, throwing him roughly into the still burning building. He cried out as the flames burned his back.

Raven appeared within two inches from his face. "If anything happens to Beast boy I'll make the Joker look like a pleasant memory by the time I'm done with you."

He'd never seen Raven this pissed, not even when Trigon had showed up. He looked, and an expression of utter hatred from Cyborg was just as intimidating. He had no doubt that Raven would have continued her threat, but a side of the building exploded, and Beast boy was still inside.

* * *

Beast boy growled, as he felt the ground shake again. Damn it all. He was never going into a burning building again.

"_Maybe you won't have to again. If we're unlucky we won't even survive this burning building."_

"_**Kid I like you, but don't speak in my head anymore. It's entirely non helpful "**_

He gently took her in his powerful jaws, and bounded out of the room. Where was he? He was somewhere in the middle of the building, and he couldn't see. His eyes blurred with tears from the smoke. He bounded down the stairs, and…_Crack…._The stairs collapsed. His feet went out from under him, and he howled in fury as he felt himself plummeting down the fiery hellhole. The little girl held on to his shaggy neck digging her nails into his fur.

He couldn't change with her attached. If she fell now he wouldn't catch her in time. His claws scraped against anything, and everything trying to catch hold of something to hold on to. They were bleeding, and tufts of fur were falling off, clumps at a time.

He tumbled into wall after wall, fallen support beams scattered the ground, and he realized with grim certainty they were about to impact. He re-maneuvered his tail, and twisted in the air so he would land on his back, the girl on his stomach.

He hit with a yowl. He was had a cracked support beam to soften his landing. It had pierced through his leg, and was going to be a bitch to get out. He struggled to get to his feet. They weren't going to get out, but they weren't going to die.

"_Are you insane? You can barely move. What are you doing?"_

" _**Shut up, and let me work."**_

He snarled. They weren't going to die. He morphed into a mole, and started digging, ignoring the enormous amounts of blood mixing with dirt. He shred at the soil as enormous piles of it flew everywhere.

"**Get in."**

She stared at him. Unmoving.

"**The buildings collapsing. Get in."**

She slowly stood up, and got into the ditch. He limped in after her, and curled himself tightly around her. They weren't going to die.

* * *

The building collapsed .To everyone's horror. They had spent the better part of an hour, searching through the remains, hoping with what little faith they had left that Beast boy was still alive.

Raven completely ignored Robin, and Cyborg downright refused to acknowledge his existence.

They had built up quite the crowd. Everyone they saved were standing and watching. Silent spectators.

She could feel it Robin wanted to go home, but she wasn't going anywhere without Beast boy.

Then she heard a rumbling….

Beast boy lunged up, bursting out of the pile of rubble,for air panting slightly. He crouched, and as a wolf dragged the girl out. He was tired, and he was going to collapse soon he could feel it.

He padded slowly over the jagged pieces of wood and broken cement, the little girl walking quietly beside him the whole time.

He scented his team approaching, and ignored them, following the more important scent trail.

"Beast boy."

Ignoring him.

Beast boy padded directly up to the crowd of people. Clearly searching for someone. The sleazy guy that Robin saved made his way to the front of the crowd.

"Rayn….my dear little girl…Rayn.."

He moved to touch her or hug her…and immediately stepped back as Beast boy's jaws snapped on the space where his hands had been previously.

" Beast boy knock it off. Let the guy have his kid back."

Beast boy snarled, and to his surprise, and everybody else's Rayn translated for him. " He said fat chance dick head. Especially since you're the one who started the fire."

The sleaze bag chuckled nervously. "What an overactive imagination you have…Rayn." He ended on a low dangerous note, daring her to rat him out.

Beast boy went on in a low series of growls and barks.

The girl giggled softly, and said. " He said Well…if you think she has an imagination. Imagine what kind of things he can dream up while you're running from every kind of horror story animal known to man."

The sleaze's face twisted into an angry sneer. "And you dare to threaten me, when all you can do is hide behind a little girl."

Beast boy snarled, shivering uncontrollably. The change wasn't suppose to hurt, but he wasn't changing he was simply switching out his wolf voice box for a human one… and he was starting to feel light headed while doing it.

He coughed, "You're amusing. You're saying I'm hiding behind Rayn, your child. But in reality, you're describing yourself, you beat your kid…didn't you, and being the sorry excuse for human being you are , you decided hey I'll just leave my cigarette out next to the heater, and then being the cowardly asshole you are you decided hmm…I might die, now that this piece of shit house is burning down, however I might get arrested if I lived, so I'm gonna leave my daughter, the only living witness to die."

The sleaze was practically frothing at the mouth by now. He lunged at Beast boy, and was thrown against the wall by strand of black energy.

Beast boy panted in laughter. "Nice one Rae."

"Raven." She responded immediately.

Beast boy gave her a fanged smile.

"So…what's gonna happen to me?" Rayn trembled. Seemingly shrinking.

"You stay with me…."His voice dripped into ice. "and Robin consider this my last mission. I'm done with the Titans, and….with you."

Beast boy turned, and didn't look back. It was something he was good at. It was one of the few things the Doom Patrol taught him that he took to heart.

* * *

I'm done with this chap, just fore warn people i have an issue with consistency you might not get an update for a while.


	3. Cave

ok new chap, it's so upsetting I'm actually learning how to be dare i say it; responsible anyways R and R

* * *

Beast boy panted in laughter, ignoring the burning sensation his abused ribs were giving him. Rayn made a leap for his tail, and once again face planted in the dirt. Her little hands pushed at the ground forcing herself back up, and she glared accusingly at him.

"_Why wont you let me catch it?" _she whined mentally.

He snickered, **"But this is so much more fun. It's not like there's anything else to do in this god forsaken cave."**

Yep cave. When they had left the Jump City, and the Titans Beast boy had let them to a cave, somewhere, where they were staying while he died from internal bleeding. Scratch that . It wasn't quite that dramatic…but still his wounds from the building, and the beams were itchy…sore…bleeding, but Rayn seemed ok. Happy even. He could see why Raven despised optimism so much. That damn sunshiny attitude, at this particular point in time was rather…annoying.

He stiffened as he felt small hands yanking angrily at his fur.

"_Why are you being so mean? Why did you help me if you were gonna be a jerk?"_

He whirled to face her, and lightly took her arm in his mouth, pulling her down so she was forced to sit at his flank, wincing at the contact. He hated being wounded. Hated it.

"**I'm not being a jerk."**

She stuck her chin out stubbornly, and her bottom lip trembled threateningly. _"Yes you are. You're being awful. You weren't like this in the building." _

Beast boy's giant wolf head landed methodically in her lap. **" I'm not trying to be mean, it's just…things aren't….everything happened so fast…I wasn't expecting to leave the Titans, and I definitely wasn't expecting to take someone with me. I apologize for being mean, but I'm just…adapting, I guess."**

Rayn stared at him intently, and then slowly ran her small hands rhythmically through his silken fur.

"I _suppose that's fine… but could you adapt without making me miserable."_

She heard him give a short mental laugh. **"I can't promise anything."**

She gave a disbelieving snort, and continued combing lightly through his fur.

"**So…Um…How do you talk to me like this…do you know?"** Beast boy had been wondering quietly, contrary to his…(nicely put)normally outgoing nature.

She contemplated her answer, winding strands of fur around finger after finger, before answering out loud. "I have no idea, I've always been able to hear animals mentally, even call them to me when I'm scared, or angry. I can't really control it."

**--**

Rayn stared at Beast boy, trying really really hard to guess what he was thinking. Just because she could call, and control animals would he try to get rid of her? I mean _technically_ he was part animal right? She hoped not, this was one of the few moments in her short life when she felt totally safe.

She tightened her grip on his fur, like maybe clenching it hard enough would help.

"So if you could always do this how come you didn't defend yourself against your dad? You could've called animals to help you, and then you wouldn't have been in the damn building any way."

She shook her head. "Even if I had done that, where would I go? I'm an estranged seven year old that can talk to animals?"

She felt him quivering, and could tell he was laughing. "What kind of deprived seven year old says words like estranged?"

"What kind of grown man criticizes words he can't spell?" She returned, grinning slightly. Beast boy had stopped talking mentally a while ago, and was now trading insults with someone not even half his age. Oh how the mighty had fallen. Not that he had been particularly mighty before.

He snorted. "I know how to spell that."

She patted his head. Damn that degrading show of affection. "I know." She said smiling again. "Your not as stupid as you pretend. Are you?"

He rolled his eyes, and softly pawed at her side. "Shut up, and quit being perceptive it's annoying."

She giggled, and her shoulders shook from the effort. She only paused when she felt him tense, and with agonizing slowness rise from her lap, he was clearly in pain. His muscles bunched as if was preparing to make a big jump. He took a tentative sniff inhaling the scent of whatever was making him nervous.

"_What is it?"_

He didn't answer. He took another experimental sniff, before slowly relaxing, and laying back down.

"I should stab you, you know that."

--

Beast boy stared into the shadows where he knew the owner of the voice was residing, and gave a sharp laugh, gasping in what could've been mistaken for laughter, but was actually pain. Searing, bone crippling, mind bending pain.

"Yeah but you wouldn't rid the world of a beauty like myself would you?"

His eyes narrowed as the figure stepped into the narrow entrance of the cave, and a very annoyed set of violet eyes gazed back at him.

"You're a moron."

"Yeah but you love me for it."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Not even in my nightmares."

Beast boy chuckled softly. He had really missed her despite their differences.

Rayn who had been silent the whole time now spoke up, hesitantly. "Um…so what's going to happen now?"

Raven looked at her than down at Beast boy, and a small grin graced her features. "I'm going to heal or maim him whatever comes first." Beast boy snorted, but said nothing, and Raven's smile faded slightly. "Then we're going to have a talk…A long talk."

--

Beast boy stiffened as Raven ran her hands gently over his wounds. "Ouch…Ouch…Pain…Aren't you… suppose to be… healing me, not groping me?"

He could fell her death glare. Damn it that burned too. "I am healing you, it would go easier if you quit squirming."

He huffed angrily, and pouted. He could never win an argument with her. He turned his head slightly to look at a sleeping Rayn, who decided having Raven around was alright, and left the adults to their business. It was so cute how she knew when to get lost.

"We weren't ready you know…"

He turned to face her, and his head tilted quizzically to the side. "Ready for what?"

She glared at him, irritated. She was not named Patience. Just like he wasn't named Literate "You…We weren't ready for you to leave. You know the team won't survive without you Garfield. We probably would've broken up a long time ago if you hadn't been there."

His expression changed, and he looked at her neutrally, a complete three sixty to what she had been expecting.

" First don't call me Garfield, second you know that's a lie, through all the shit we've been through we've always survived, always adapted, now is no different."

Her glare turned murderous. "Yes, **We **survived. **All** of us. **Together**. This isn't a game Beast _boy _you can't simply quit because Robin's being a dick, if you haven't noticed he has that name for a reason. You keep the team together, if you aren't there Cyborg will go insane, Robin will literally kill Star's self esteem and faith in this team. I'll probably get too disgusted with every one to stay in the same room with them for any period of time, and Robin will still have won because he'll still be the same obsessive ass he always was. Without you to balance out the team it _will_ fall apart."

He looked at her a little surprised, but other than that remained unresponsive.

Raven scowled at him, once again he was the **only **one that could piss her off like this. "I know I'm the last person you'd expect to talk with about this, but everything I've said is true. When we joined it stopped being about us as individuals. We are a team, and that means we resolve things as a team. This doesn't just affect you Beast boy."

His face creased, and a large underused frown replaced his normal look. "Don't you think I know that Rae? This is partly why I need to leave. No one seems except that I'm not the same scrawny kid that joined the Titans. I've learned and grown so much more than I've ever thought possible. This isn't something I rushed into, I've been thinking of it ever since the Beast incident. Being on a team is pointless, when everyone thinks your incompetent. No one honestly believes I can handle what's inside of me. I mean hell we all gave Terra another shot, but when it's me in question I get screwed over."

Raven was looking at him funnily. "What?"

She shook herself. "My god he does have a brain." She looked at him critically, and slowly got up and walked so she was standing in front of him. She then brought her hand down directly on his exposed head.

"What the hell was that for?" He yelped angrily.

"Of all the times you decided to you could've decided to grow up you had to choose _now_ when I was counting on your lack of maturity. What kind of sick timing is that?"

He shrugged, but his eyes twinkled mischievously. "I thought you wanted me to grow up. Are you saying you _like_ me immature?"

She rolled her eyes. "Amazing, and you choose now to listen to my advice."

He still had that damn irritating smile on his face. "Rae you didn't answer my question."

She growled at him, and was going to answer in a not so nice way, but her communicator rang….and she ignored it. It did interrupt where this was going though. Thank god, but it was her cue, if she didn't go Robin would question her, and if Robin questioned her, well she wasn't really in the mood, she might accidentally blow him up or something…..Not that that would be a bad thing….Starfire would get over it eventually right…..

Beast boy still slightly sore morphed back his human form wincing every couple seconds.

This was kind of awkward, they both knew that odds were that after Raven left neither were gonna see each other for a very long time. Let's face it neither of 'em were good at good byes.

"So this is it….." It sounded dumb, but it was all she had to say.

Then Beast boy surprised them both by enveloping her in large hug, and to top off this surprising day, Raven actually, against her better judgment hugged him back.

After a few seconds she stepped back awkwardly, and gave a small smirk. "If you get killed I'm kicking your ass." And with that she was gone in a vortex of black.

Beast boy stared at her disappearing form in disbelief, before breaking off into uncontrollable laughter. She would never change, and for that he was glad. He whirled around to face the cave. He had someone to take care of now, and you know what he was glad for that too.

* * *

I thought I made it kinda sappy, but anyways I'll update soon if you liked it the next chap or chap 5 is probably gonna a time skip.


	4. Crap

Rayn crept silently, and with practiced swiftness hid herself behind the tree. She was so gonna get him this time. She watched, patiently as he munched on an apple. She shivered, and her face took on a slow disturbing grin, before her face lengthened into a short muzzle, and her hands into large carefully proportioned paws.

Her cat eyes narrowed, and her powerful shoulder's bunched. She tensed, and took a powerful leap, claws extended. Her target's ear twitched, and ducked, just as her claws would have skimmed him. Aw hell. She growled angrily as she tumbled to the ground, rolling, eating dirt, and rolling some more.

She dug her claws into the ground, Trying and failing to create make shift brakes. She snarled, and dug her claws even harder into the ground, and slowly came to a stop.

She gave an experimental shake, and shifted back to her human form. She dusted off her cloak, completely peeved. She'd been with her uncle since she was seven, and still couldn't best him, and she was now thirteen. Six freakin years, she knew she wasn't that bad at fighting, it was just he was better….

She was snapped out of her reverie, by the soft laughter of her proclaimed uncle. She glared at him, annoyed. He had changed since he had left the Titans, he no longer wore the purple and black of the doom patrol, actually he no longer wore spandex at all, thank god.

He now wore a pair of fingerless gloves, that ended at the beginning of his wrist. You still couldn't see his hands, or arms for that matter, due to a series of tightly wrapped bandages, that ran up the length of his arms. He also wore long sleeved black shirt, with a tight fitting scarlet vest. At his waist he wore a pair of looped, and studded black belts, and he topped off his fashion statement with a pair of combat boots.

Rayn was dressed similarly, She had the same style, different colors, and she wore a white cloak most of the time. He had a black cloak, just you know bigger, and longer, and…unused.

Her eyes darkened threateningly, which made him laugh harder. "You know what I'm gonna make your retirement life hell." She scowled.

His laughter stopped, and his demeanor became solemn…albeit the warm humor in his eyes. "That's unnecessary, by the time I retire, I'll have moved thousands of leagues out of range your wrath. Lord knows I don't want to be _anywhere_ near you when you hit the legal drinking age."

She snorted. "You barely want to deal with me now as a teenager, I mean c'mon, you even tried to trade me for a veggie burger."

He held up his index finger. "_Once_, I tried to do that once, and suddenly I'm the bad guy."

A small smile graced her face. "Uncle Gar, when they say we take credit or cash, and you don't feel like paying the first thing that comes to mind isn't supposed to be, can my nine year old niece pay it off with working?"

"Oh c'mon it's not like they let you…."

"There are child labor laws against people like you."

He chuckled lightly. "I just can't win…."

She shrugged complacently, a unanimous agreement.

He shook his head before his gaze turned serious. "You're almost to the point where you have control, but you still need some work."

Rayn sighed. They had been through this. She was curious, she hadn't been to the city in the six years she had been with Gar. Her uncle…She never wanted a father, ever again, not after what that bastard had done to her as a child, but truthfully if her father had been like Gar it wouldn't have been that bad….

And as her surrogate _uncle_Gar had trained her, it had been hard, but he did his best, and he cared which in turn helped them both, and it's form him that she took her example and learned, even though her powers were completely different than his.

Where, he could change into any animal he put his mind to, she could only turn into animals she had seen. Where she could call and control animals against there will, he could talk to them, where he was in pain when he changed, she was fine….

That was something she couldn't understand. There were certain shapes he changed into where he was in extreme pain, and it scared her, he never talked about it though, end refused to explain it to her. So she was forced to drop the subject.

That aside, he was right she could control her powers to a certain extent, but she still had slip-ups. The instincts that coursed through her all the time, when she felt upset, or sad, scared, they made her shift shapes unintentionally, which really bites when you're trying to stay on the DL. (it means down low…idiot) Gar had said until she can sneeze, and not turn into a fly, she wasn't allowed out on her own in the city, and she was so frickin close.

* * *

_a week later at TT_

Cyborg inserted the mec chip into the T-car, this would get it some much needed upgrades. A new sonic cannon, with twice the force, and half the trouble, plus the lovely gift from God known as nitro. If only that would get them away from Robin, and Starfire, unfortunately the mec chip didn't do miracles.

After BB left, the Teen Titans, basically rotted and died. Robin made their lives a living hell, and Starfire blinded by love, and ignorance went with everything the asshole said. He glanced up, and looked at his floating teammate. Raven…She wasn't the same after Beast boy left, nobody had expected it, but out of all of them he knew it affected Raven the most.

After that day, Raven, if possible, became even more secluded, and when she did come out, she hung out with him in the garage, reading an ungodly large book. He didn't mind, here was really the only place safe from Robin, and the lost red headed puppy that followed him.

He remembered that day well, he didn't think he'd ever been any more proud of his purple haired little sister than at that moment…Six years ago.

**Flashback**

Cyborg grabbed blunder boy by the collar of his black cape, and brought him to eye level. "Why would you kick Beast boy off the team you pea brained, spandex wearing, overly obsessed, _Dick_head excuse of a super hero?" He took a deep shuddering breath, and counted slowly to five. "I suggest you talk fast, and **maybe** you might be able to walk in the next eight months."

Robin glared back defiantly. "You would attack a team mate."

Cyborg gazed at him evenly, a calm fury, enveloping him, his body, his hard drive….

"You would _betray_ a team mate. Damn it Robin, this has been building for months, and you just jumped at the opportunity. You've were simply waiting for an excuse to get rid of Beast boy."

Robin sneered at him, and a part of Cyborg wanted to blast him, _'Die Robin, Die'_

Robin cackled. "You know what, Don't play the hurt and rejected card Cy, don't pretend you care that he's gone. Where were you when he left? You say that this confrontation has been building for months, where were you when it happened? Especially since you knew it was happening. If you cared so damn much why weren't you there to defend him? Face it you're a hypocrite in every sense of the word."

Cyborg's gaze was murderous, but before he could say anything a different voice spoke.

"He's_not_ a hypocrite, Your just a jack ass, with all the ego that Batman bred you with. Where was he…Taking care of me in the med bay. No one suspected you to be capable of this level of stupidity, _Robin._ Beast boy needed to hash this out with you, it's been like this since you threatened to lock him up in a cage. Which is surprising cause you never threatened to do that with me when I lost control, or hell when Terra betrayed us, she was welcomed back with open arms, but when Beast boy is on the line, he's immediately guilty, without question."

Robin gazed at a very pissed off Raven astonished, before he switched back to jack ass-ness.

"That's funny, considering you're the one who was constantly shooting him down, constantly insulting him, and constantly throwing him out windows, for just talking to you, I'd think I was doing you a favor-"

And with that Raven had had enough. Robin was enveloped in a chasm of black magic, and was dragged with Raven through a portal.

Robin was scared, scratch that he was terrified, Raven was no longer under Trigon's influence, that however didn't make her any less intimidating. Her original blue cloak, was now a blood red. He was gonna die. Cyborg was gonna kill him, screw that Raven was gonna _eat_ him.

Her voice took on a very demonic quality. **"You started a game Robin. A game that I plan on finishing. You sent away my best friend, my only friend, and you think I wouldn't take it personally."**

Robin cowered under her gaze, and for the first time he was noticing there surroundings. Wherever they were the landscape was flat, and barren, but what caught his attention was giant titanium cylinders with smoke coming off the top. Holy Shit…She wouldn't.

He gaze slowly traveled to Raven and a very disturbing grin was directed at him…Raven never smiled…She would….

That was his last logical thought as he was enveloped in a world of pain. Raven dunked him repeatedly into the cylinders brimming with burning hot coal. At each dunk she said something pronouncing each word clearly.

"**Now" .** _Dunk._

"**That."** _Dunk_

"**You've."** _Dunk._

"**Shown."** _Dunk._

"**Your."** _Dunk._

"**Real."** _Dunk._

"**Colors."**_Dunk. Dunk_.

"**Be prepared, because if the day comes where Beast boy comes back we will choose him over you."**

**End Flash back**

Cyborg chuckled, that was a day he almost wanted on tape. Raven looked up from her book, at the sound of Cyborg's random laughter. She raised one slender eyebrow.

"You know when people start laughing at nonexistent things, it's usually the beginning of insanity, and they do things like you know, talking to inanimate objects, going out with invisible dates… looking for a remote that's right in front of them."

Cyborg glowered at her. Her sarcasm hadn't changed…unfortunately.

She rolled her eyes at him. " Why would my sarcasm change?"

He grunted. "Don't you have a universal law against invading someone's mind, or something?"

She gave a flippant shrug. "Maybe, but when you're just looking at the surface of someone's mind, and not invading their more personal thoughts, it doesn't really matter. It's not like you're actually offended anyway."

He snorted, and turned to finish the T-car, when the alarm went off, He rolled his eyes, and he heard Raven sigh discontentedly behind him. That thing was so damn annoying.

* * *

Rayn was screwed. Gar was gonna murder her. She had one abstract part of her training she had left to finish, and she had skipped out. She couldn't help it she wanted to see kids her own age, not that Gar wasn't cool, but….Forget it she was an adolescent teenager, he was supposed to expect rebellion…..damn it.

She sighed, and slid off her white cloak, and hid it in the bushes. On the outside, she really did look like a normal teenager, which totally worked to her advantage since no one knew her.

She wore the same thing as Gar, just her vest was a forest green, and her pants were camouflage colors.

She walked down the sidewalk, admiring the buildings that were familiar, and yet not…..the people who there were plenty of, and cars….that reeked. She had many, many heightened senses, and that….Ugh. She gagged, and quickened her step, running into people in her haste to get away.

She slowed, as she came to a stop light, and suddenly, another scent mingled with the stench of cars. Something sweet, and familiar. She crossed the street as the light turned green, and a slow grin came to her face, as the giant letters; M-A-L-L came into view.

Oh yes. Rayn is _very_ happy.

* * *

What in the bloody hell? Wasn't America supposed to be constitutional, support the people or some shit like that?

Since when did food cost more than five dollars? Rayn was seething she was in the mall, with thousands of beautiful aromas, and food scents, and she couldn't buy jack. What kind of twisted country was this, where a thirteen year old can't buy a combo for a dollar fifty?"

Clothes were out, accessories nada, not that she needed either of those two, but food was essential damn it.

She sighed, and rubbed her temples. This wasn't turning out like she had hoped.

With a heavy heart she left the mall. Maybe she could ask Gar to swing an allowance, where he would get the money…Who knows, but it would help.

She tensed, at that exact moment an explosion knocked her off her feet, throwing her roughly to the ground, shards of shattered glass lodged itself in her skin. It **hurt,**but it wasn't something she couldn't handle.

She snarled there was gonna be hell to pay.

The backlash of power caused a rather pretty explosion , and a shower of glass. Cinderblock shoved through the bank, tearing through a crowd of people.

"Hey you overgrown retarded piece of shit"

Cinderblock froze and turned to the suicidal human, and gave an angry roar, and was surprised, when the brat roared back…..

Rayn shifted into a t-rex, letting her instincts guide her. She snarled, and lunged, letting her giant vice-like jaws snap down on the hard stone, and was thoroughly surprised when a fist embedded in her side and she was knocked back, into a building…Again that _hurt._

The Titans got there late…and to there surprise someone was already fighting Cinderblock. They watched as she shifted into brown colored t-rex, and fought, losing, but still fighting.

Raven didn't even bother slowing down and watching the scene. She flew around Cinderblock, landing five feet away from the changeling, and here she thought she wouldn't be seeing a shape shifter again, and one shows up out of no where.

"Owwwwwww….my head" The girl gingerly touched her head, and winced.

"What exactly possessed you to fight him, when you were out of your league?"

The girl flinched, and noticed her for the first time, and emotions flicked across her face, surprise turned to complete horror. "You…...craaaaaap."

The girl plopped back into the pile of rubble, and groaned.

Starfire flew in at a round house kick, knocking Cinderblock off his feet. The stone man slid several feet. Jack as- Nightwing (excuse me) shot a roped birda-rang around the giant's legs leaving him immobile, and lastly Cyborg came in with a Sonic cannon, and Cinderblock hit the ground with a thud. So that's done... where's was Raven?

Rayn quietly ran as fast as her legs would take her, the one time she skipped out on training this shit happens. Gar was going to kill her, clone her, and kill her again.

Suddenly gravity stopped working (which is supposed to be literally impossible), and she was lifted off the ground. She struggled against the black magic that was keeping her uncomfortably inert.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Damn it…

* * *

end of chap, I'm not updating for at least 5 days...to tired


	5. Jingle bells

Rayn's head connected with the back of the sterilized table, she wondered if she banged it hard enough if she'd knock herself unconscious, or if she'd start seeing hallucinations because frankly if she didn't see some sort of non-boring thing soon she was gonna go insane. The damn ceiling didn't even move, after she'd taken the trouble to stare at it for an hour and half.

She supposed she could always think of how she was going to write her book. Ha. You didn't think she'd be literate did you? She was going to call it; 'A Thousand and One Ways to Torture Nightwing, and hide the body.' It had a nice ring to it too. She wasn't exactly a peaches and cream person, but she did respect others, and that went really far in the real world, however Nightwing brought out a part of her she thought she had buried a long time ago, a hate filled, revenge driven being that was dangerous in character and strength.

Instead of doing things according to protocol, and imprisoning her till she was willing to talk, he insulted her, demeaning her in one of the most unforgivable ways a person could. First off, he thought she was a semi-smart kid with some intricate plan to harass the civilians, or to undermine Titan turf.(What the hell? What sense did that make) Second, instead of just imprisoning her, he forced a pair of heavy metal hand cuffs on her, which were highly uncomfortable, and literally impossible to break.

Lastly, to her complete and utter horror, boy blunder attached a technologically advanced collar around her neck. It sealed off her powers, cutting them off till it was convenient for him for them to work again. She would understand so much better if it was a wrist band, hell a skull necklace would've been better. A collar was just demeaning, and totally inappropriate.

She snarled angrily, this sucked, but what she really wanted to do was to get the chicken headed bastard back, so she needed to know what pissed him off, well, what logically pisses people off….She smiled evilly. Oh yes she was going to make him regret this damn collar…

And surprisingly thoughts of home with her uncle never entered her head.

* * *

With Cyborg

He flicked disconsolately through the camera view points, and came to a stop on the girl, he checked the tape, and watched in amazement as she cleared her throat, and started singing. She was good, but her choice of songs…Oh my god….

He opened a panel on his arm, and pressed the buttons that uplinked him to the communicators.

"Uh, Nightwing-"

"That's not who I am anymore Jack ass."

Cyborg clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and continued on . " Anyways prick remember when you said to let you know if she starts talking, or babbling, anything along those lines."

"Yeah….."

"You should get down here."

He heard some mumbling on the other side of line about getting the others… wait till he found out what he got called for.

Nightwing was gonna be pissed.

Nightwing showed up around ten minutes later with a very happy Starfire dragging along a very angry looking Raven.

"What the hell is so important that I can't meditate?"

Cyborg snickered, before clearing his throat uncertainly "Um, well the kid had a confession of sorts, and Nightwing did tell me to call when she started talking, or communicating." He summarized, with an innocent shrug.

"Well friend what has she said?"

Cyborg paused before turning to the screen, and pressing the display button. The prisoner's silhouette filled the screen, and they watched as she cleared her throat, before looking daringly at the hidden camera, and she starting to sing.

"Dashing through the sand  
with a bomb strapped to my back.  
I have a nasty plan  
for Christmas in Iraq."

Nightwing's eye twitched slightly, but she wasn't done yet.

"I got through checkpoint A,  
but not through checkpoint B.  
That's when I got shot in the ass  
by the Bat artillery …"

twitch twitch twitch

"Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs  
Mine blew up you see.  
Where are all the virgins  
that Boy blunder promised me?"

Starfire gasped disbelievingly, and Raven snorted.

"Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs  
Nightwing shot me in the head  
The only things that I have left  
are the words fuck you I'm not dead."

At this point Cyborg erupted into laughter, and even Raven shook with amusment.

"My bombing days are done.  
I need to find some work.  
Perhaps it would be much safer  
as a convenient store night clerk."

"Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs  
I think that I got screwed.  
Don't smirk at me before I'm dead  
or I'll kill you…"

The screen cut off, and Cyborg continued to laugh, with Raven while Nightwing just stared at the screen clearly not believing that a mere thirteen year old dared to outright humiliate him in his own home. Oh hell no. He turned on his heel, and stormed out of the room. Time to pay this brat a visit.

Raven watched as Robin, now Nightwing fumed, and then storm out. She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. He just had to be a pansy ass incapable of taking anyone's crap, even a mere child's. If he wanted to prove that he was the man that he wanted us to see, he should've acted like a man and let it go, but no…

She wrapped a blanket of power around herself, and teleported herself to the holding room where they were keeping the changeling prisoner, and asked the first question that came to mind.

"Are you retarded?"

A pair of sky blue eyes, hinged slightly with silver glared back at her. "No, are you a goth?"

She rolled her eyes like that never came up in the media, the news, or her fan mail. "Not that that's relevant but no, and why did you decide to piss Nightwing off when ultimately he decides what happens to you?"

This time kid rolled her eyes. "I don't really have anything to lose, and he's a complete ass, so why not…. and even if that kind of decision does come with being a leader, it's not like he owns you guys, you can make your own decisions, this isn't just his home, it's yours too. He didn't even help build it."

Raven stared critically at the small brunette in front of her, she was smart for her age, and wasn't evil, cynical maybe, but she could hardly judge her for that.

"He's here."

Raven snapped out of it, and felt Nightwing's presence outside the door. Angry, abusive, and less than hospitable. How did the kid know that though?

She sent out a current of energy shielding the door, and denying Nightwing access.

"How did you know Nightwing was here?"

The kid snorted, "He reeks of cheep hair gel ,prick-ness."

Raven raised an elegant eyebrow. "Prick-ness?"

"Arrogance, he reeks of it."

"And you would know that how?"

Rayn shook her head this would take forever to explain. "Look everyone smells different, Cyborg smells like steel, and wires, you smell like lavender with the lingering aroma of incense, but the expression animals can smell fear is actually quite accurate, but not detailed enough. We smell other emotions too. Each one distinguishable from the last. You smell surprised around, and he smells like a prick constantly. Get it."

Raven nodded slowly. It made sense, more or less.

"So how long do I have to stay here?"

"If Nightwing stays pissed long enough, very possibly till you're on life support, and wondering why the hell your insurance doesn't cover anything.

Rayn raised an eyebrow. "He's _that_sensitive, he got offended by someone _half_ his age for a stupid song….."

The violet haired empath, shrugged. "Sad isn't it?"

"If it's so sad how come your still here? I mean your smart, and strong couldn't you just jack off on your own."

Rayn swore she could smell a wisp of anger, but it left as quickly as it came. She flinched as Raven's feature's visibly hardened, and her eyes steeled into ice, that look unnerved her, and was slowly making her blood run cold.

"And where pray tell would you suggest I go? The Titans isn't the ideal place to live….anymore….but it's my home, and the only one I've got, and I thank Azar for it every day, and as much as it offends me to admit it two out of three of the people here are family."

Rayn stared at her disbelievingly, "Why are you staying in a place where it hurts to call it a home? What could possibly possess you to-"

"Don't you dare patronize me, my first home was in a place that made concentration camps seem like a freakin vacation, and the fact of the matter is being who I am, I refuse to be an ungrateful ignorant ass, whose going to be picky about where I live, because frankly no where I stay will ever compare to the hell I lived in before. Being alive, here, is a vast improvement to what was going to happen to me, what might still happen if I'm not careful."

Rayn felt a wave a fury wash over her, and a she spoke in a calm voice she didn't feel. "So that's it, you condemn yourself because of your lineage, you think it's ok to be unhappy because of what you are, that you can't choose to do better because that would make you ungrateful-"

The damn alarm went off surprising both of them, and the pounding on the door stopped.

Rayn stared at Raven coldly. "Go save the innocent and leave me the hell alone… how someone so intelligent could be so _stupid_ is behind beyond me."

* * *

_**Elsewhere in the universe**_

She was tired, so tired of the same glares, the same prejudiced hate filled glares that followed her at every turn. She thought that after she turned fourteen she would simply

become detached of all feeling, very much like her heartless unfeeling mother. _Mother._

What a useless word that was. It's not like that _eejit_had ever been there for her. In fact that damn woman did everything in her power to make her life a living hell.

She beat her senseless for the smallest mistake, when she asked questions about her family or home she was punished severely. She was told that as alpha her mother was training her, but she knew her mother just like seeing her in pain, it was a past time, no different than being watching sports.

Nothing she did was ever good enough, the expectations she had been given demanded perfect results which she didn't provide. Therefore she was a disgrace to her mother, and you know what screw her father. She didn't even want to think about that evil, lying, gutless-

"Lady Aerin"

She flinched at her name, what now. She turned silently to face the intruder. "What Daja?"

Her guard for as long as she could remember, a medium sized beta, around 5'4 with an olive complexion, and piercing orange eyes, revered for her superior fighting skills, but known rather widely for her temper, and impulsiveness stood at her door.

"Your mother has requested your presence."

She massaged her temple, and waited for the impeccable migraine just waiting to happen. " Can I avoid this?"

Daja gave her a grim smile. "That depends _Aerin_, do you remember the last time you skipped out on a meeting with her, and the next day you weren't present when the hawk liaison paid a visit."

Aerin paled, and shook her head slowly. "She's not in that foul a mood is she?"

Silence…

"Ugh….." She groaned and flopped down onto her bed. Her life sucked. She didn't move when she felt the tremor's in the bed, or when mattress indented. She could smell Daja's scent clearly now, she smelled of venison, and a healthy sweat.

"You have to go meet her."

"I don't want to, I don't even want to know her let alone be related to her."

_That's what he said too_

"What?"

Daja got up quickly, "Nothing," she walked to the door, and paused, "Hurry up you don't want to keep her waiting, not today."

She didn't get it. Sometimes Daja would say things about someone, some guy, she use to know, but when Aerin asked she'd always change the subject it pissed her off to no end. Whoever it was could've done her a favor, and been less anonymous. She knew for a fact that Daja was in some form a friend, no that she was allowed to indulge in those, but anything that she was keeping from her had to be serious.

She grumbled crankily. What the hell was so special about today anyways?

Aerin entered the great hall in full noble criteria. She wore the royal colors blue and silver, and on her wrist was the royal crest, sealed in scars, and ink. She wore no shoes, and her bare feet skimmed the hard marble floor.

She eyed the room nonplussed before she hesitantly looked towards the center where she knew her mother to be.

Her mother, Lady Alanna, Silvermead, White Wolf, head of her empire, her illegally gained, and forcefully kept empire, of shape shifting wolves, and Aerin was oh so proud. Speaking of her mother, Daja was right she was in a bad mood. Dark bags drooped under her eyes, while her face had a slightly drawn look to it despite her glamorous appearance, oh yes there would be a lot of alcohol tonight.

Her mother motioned to her right. "Sit"

Like the mechanical robot she was sure her mother wanted, she did take a seat in the place her mother pointed.

Her mother not known to beat around the bush immediately got down to business. "As you know you are my _one_ and _only_ heir, (Oh damn anything starting this way was gonna be bad she could feel it) you have past almost all tests as my successor, and now I I'm assisting you with the last I have picked your Alacran."

Aerin blinked once, then twice, disbelievingly. "Are you insane you can't pick my mentor, my advisor, they'll be bound to me for life?"

"I have taken careful consideration of that and-"

"Who?"

"The responsibility of picking an adviser to help you with your pack is-"

"_Mother who. did .you .pick?"_

" Severin."

Aerin stumbled back as if she'd been slapped. Severin she picked that rat faced…..She couldn't do it. She'd murder him, or he'd manipulate her. Either way she lost.

"I refuse."

"You can't."

Aerin laughed hollowly, and she went into an angry snarl. "Do you plan on stopping me? There's a reason people fear me, no thanks to you and my damn father, who the hell decided that having a crossbred child, the product of a one night stand was a fucking marvelous idea? You or the snake?"

Her mother's eyes glittered dangerously, and her fists slammed down on the table. "Watch your mouth, you _little witch_." She hissed.

Aerin laughed again, and left the building, slamming the heavy doors behind her. She had to get out of here the amount of pain she was going to be in if she stayed was to horrendous to even think about.

* * *

. "You _idiot_"

"I know."

"How air headed can you be you challenged her in front of the whole court you retard."

"I know. I know. I know I'm stupid, and I never should have done it but Severin would've gotten the whole pack killed through me."

Daja scowled at her. "That was still stupid of you."

Aerin scowled back. "At least help me think of someplace we can go."

Daja arched an eyebrow. "We?"

"Yes we, I can't go alone, and I can't leave you here, they might accuse you of treason, or worse…."

"Oh yes I was collaborating with a fourteen year old bent on world domination, sue me."

Aerin chuckled, before being serious again. "Seriously Daja."

Her guard sighed, and massaged her temple. "I do know someone, more or less, he'd help us, but I'm not sure of his exact location."

"That's great who is it?"

"He was banished to earth….he's your mother's brother….your uncle…"

* * *

new chapter and i promise if it didnt make sense it will, but i had to add lots of extra characters alot of who will be there through out the story one or two who were just fillers.


	6. Torture

ok dudes to answer questions;

Handerra, yep mythical creatures are a possibility, and are definitely-probably gonna happen.

G. Login; Heh, read and find out cause it's no fun when people figure out half my plot and I'm not done yet

Um, yeah new chap, and it's not exactly how I want to be, but it's decent and it'll work.

Oh yeah, and for vocabulary;

_eejit; (from last chapter) means bitch_

_Alacran; means teacher and\or mentor, that advises you through life, and is in many ways a parents, and in more ways not a parent, that has a special mental bond with...whoever._

_and the song from the last chap was Jeff Dunham's I just edited a few words so it would fit_

_

* * *

_

Aerin looked at her bodyguard flatly. "Don't joke with me."

"I'm not, your uncl-"

"I don't _have_ an uncle, that would imply my mother has a brother, and if she had a brother it would imply there's someone out there from the exact same parents, and just as deranged as she is, which is a thought I refuse to entertain."

Daja shook her head at her. "Denying it doesn't make it any less true."

"I can't have an uncle, and if I did I _don't_ want to go to him for help."

"You should have thought about that before you refused, and outright challenged your mother in the audience chamber. At this point there's no safer place to go."

Aerin sighed angrily, before a new thought presented itself, and she glared. "If he's such a good guy why was he banished?"

Daja stiffened, and her eyes narrowed, but she remained silent.

She tried again. "How come you never mentioned him before now? How come I didn't know he even _existed_before now?"

A deep rumbling shook the room as Daja growled, clearly not enjoying my twenty questions imitation, and her pupils dilated slightly as she turned to look at me.

"The reason you didn't know he existed is because in retrospect he doesn't. He's dead to your mother, worthless to your father, traitor to his home, and generally not known by our people. The ones that do remember are banned from enlightening others as to what happened."

"So…all this time we could've left. We could've left this hellhole, and had somewhere to go…and instead you chose to let me believe that **thing** was my only living relative, that here was my only home, the only place where I could progress was here. You _lied_. You lied to cover your own ass." Aerin's glare was lethal, and the meaning of the growl that graced her lips was unmistakable.

Daja's hand brushed the edge of her staff, and she looked at her stonily. "Pup, you have so much to learn, yes I lied, but did you honestly think that we could've pulled it off. You've always rebelled against your mother, but you've never outright defied her, and if I had pulled you out then we wouldn't have survived. You needed to grow out of your naivety, needed to know the extent of your parents' cruelty, and learn the extent of your strength. You needed to know how to fight, and how to endure, because truthfully this will not be easy, it will not be slow, and it definitely _will_be painful."

Aerin sighed again, but looked slightly mollified.

"So, do you still trust me?"

"Hell no."

Daja massaged her temples, she had been anticipating that answer. "Well that's irrelevant at this point anyways, look we're slightly short on time, so if we could…" She trailed off, gesturing with her hands, and started for the door.

"Right." Aerin grabbed a pack that she kept in her closet that she always kept packed with essentials in case of emergencies. ( which consisted of clothes, three books, and one or two sentimental items, which weren't exactly normal, but then again normal's over rated.)

* * *

Aerin stared open mouthed.

"No. There's no way on god's green earth…."She finished with a snarl gesturing emphatically at the dented and rusted ship in front of her.

"What?" Daja eyed her charge incredulously

"I'm not riding in that."

Daja sighed, why did she have to be exasperating at a time like this? They were never gonna get there if they didn't leave.

"What's wrong with my ship?"

Aerin touched her chin thoughtfully, and she had to resist the urge to smack her for being difficult. "That particular model hasn't been used in years, and it's deemed hazardous."

"So….."

"Do you not see the 'use at your own risk' sign on the port side, the one with the skull, and cross bones."

"It's a fashion statement."

"And what statement would that be…. fly or die?"

"Don't be a Smart ass.…You're a trained warrior, quit being such a wuss?"

"I'm not being a wuss, I'm simply saying your ship sucks, and I want to be alive when we get there."

Daja grinned menacingly."Then I suggest you get in the ship?"

"Is that a threat?"

Daja didn't answer, instead she grabbed the back of Aerin's collar, and knocked her feet out from under her, and dragged her slowly up towards the ramp, ignoring her threats to kick her ass if she didn't let go, and that she planned on burying her under a rock one day. It was kinda amusing…

* * *

Rayn was going to die. Gar decided he wasn't going to kill her right away, first he decided he was going to fry her in acid, then when she got out he was going to beat her into a coma, then as she got up, BAM, right back into the coma again.

She had been missing for a week. He hadn't sensed her in a week, and wherever she was it wasn't close or else he would've felt her through their bond, but that left the question where the hell was she?

She had no money, no relatives, and no contacts, she had basic control of her powers and emotions, but she also had a dark side that she had no comprehension of. She didn't work with it, and it didn't control her, but that didn't make it any less real or dangerous. If it came out, and she wasn't ready…..

Screw that, depression wasn't his thing, he wasn't gonna dwell on uncertainties. It wasn't worth it, but he was supremely worried about her, she was his in everything except blood, and if anything happened to her….Ugh…

Damn it.

* * *

Raven's eyes snapped open, and she stopped mid mantra. Those tremors, what was that? She had been meditating when the equivalent to a spiritual explosion, sent series of shock waves through her, successfully unsettling her, and screwing with her emotions.

Well sleeping, and meditating were out. What a pain. She sighed, running her finger's lightly through her hair, a habit she had developed after…..The incident…..She closed her eyes, before opening them, and glancing decidedly at the clock.

Two a.m. Joy. What sane person bothers the spiritual plane at this ungodly hour of the morning? She knew she should go check it out, but frankly she didn't care. The spirit waves held no malice, or evil intent, and those alone were reasons to leave well enough alone.

She floated forward, and with a wave of her hand, her door was enveloped in black. It slid backward in silence and she flew towards the kitchen to make some tea. She filled the pot with water, and left it on the stove to boil. Walking in the common room, for lack of better things to do she checked on the 'guest' of the tower through the security cameras.

She blinked, as she saw Nightwing leaving the holding room, a satisfied smirk on his face.

Oh no….

Raven disappeared through the floor teleporting directly into the holding room. If Nightwing was happy then someone had to be in pain.

She flew out of the portal, and floated slowly over to the brunette, strapped to the table.

"Hey…."

Silence. The kid was staring at the ground, her hair acting as veil over her face. She knew she was there, that much she knew, but…..

"Are you…well?"

Silence. Then, "Leave me alone."

"Listen whatever happened….."

"_I said leave me alone_." She snarled, glaring at her.

Raven stared at her face critically, noting the angry red bruise, and slightly cut lip.

"He hit you….."

Rayn winced, at the bluntness of the statement. Yes, he had left a mark on her, and yes it hurt, but the rage she felt at her own pathetic helplessness overpowered the sting of her cheek, and the bitter tang of blood in her mouth. She was a metahuman damn it, she wasn't suppose to be abused like this, not anymore, not when she knew how to defend herself.

"Yeah, and, what do you care?" She knew it wasn't the right thing to ask. She knew Raven wasn't bad in fact she smelt rather pissed off at the moment, presumably at Nightwing.

The violet haired empath raised one elegant eyebrow. "You're not seriously asking that, while you sit here _bleeding_ are you?"

She scowled. "It's not like you've been forthcoming in the help department."

Raven shrugged, and the scowl deepened.

"Maybe not, but this is…disturbing. Do you-"

"No."

"Do you even know what I was gonna say?"

"You were going to ask if you could heal me, and I'm telling you no…if I can remember the pain I wont make the same mistake again."

Raven stared at her disbelievingly. "There's nothing remotely correct about that sentence, your collared, handcuffed, and held down, how do you expect to do anything at all?"

Silence…..Rayn knew she had a point, but still. Her leg twitched, and she looked own in surprise. Raven was fiddling with her leg braces, and Rayn watched as they came off with a click, and the straps that had previously held her down flopped off.

She swayed unsteadily, and leaned against the table for support. She hadn't eaten or slept comfortably in days, so coordination was not her forte at the moment. She knelt on the ground, massaging her abused legs despite her hand cuffs.

Without looking up she voiced her thoughts. "Why did you do that? Isn't Sir sitck-up-his-ass going to disapprove?"

She was surprised to hear a derisive snort. She looked up startled, into a pair flaming cynical eyes, "Like Nightwing can actually stop me from doing something….that hasn't been the case for several long, and beautifully prick-less years."

Rayn chuckled lightly, Oh yeah, she forgot, Raven wasn't exactly commonly known for her tolerance level. Especially for people who seem fated to screw up, and mess with her morals. It felt good to know that she wasn't the only one that wanted Nightwing maimed, burned, and left in tiny pieces in the middle of a swirling vortex of doom….

Huh, and Gar said she had a temper…..Yeah Right….

* * *

"I'm going to ask you one more time."

"And I'm going to tell you one more time, unless you let me drive the T-car I'm not giving you the cheat codes."

"You can't drive. You're under aged."

"Then you shouldn't drive either, you act more my age than I do."

Cyborg slapped his forehead, and turned accusingly to Raven. "This is all your fault."

"It's not my fault she demolished you in the video game…ten or twenty times, while wearing power suppressing hand cuffs…

Cyborg rolled his eyes "She cheated."

"I'm pretty sure that's physically impossible…."

"You couldn't let me have this one could you?"

She smirked. "No, that would imply that I'm losing touch with my hobbies."

"….of torturing people, making sarcastic remarks, and generally getting your average hard ass to screw their pride, and run for to save their dull, and empty lives…."

Raven shrugged non-plussed. "It's a hereditary trait."

She suddenly flinched, slamming her book shut, and standing up. "Starfire's coming."

Rayn looked from Raven to Cyborg, searching for something on their faces that would alert her as to what was going on.

Cyborg caught her look, and his mouth set in a grim line, before answering her silent question. "Things are…tense at the Tower right now, and we're not as lenient with each other, especially where Nightwing and Starfire are concerned."

She nodded mutely as the doors, to the common room slid open, revealing the alien princess.

"Hello friends, is today not glorious?" She flew excitedly into the room. Rayn raised an eyebrow as Cyborg sighed, and Raven pulled her hood over her face.

Starfire paused uncertaintly as she saw Rayn. "Um…should you not be bound in the holding room, until Nightwing releases you?"

"No"

Starfire glanced towards the empath, surprised at her cold tone. "But Raven, she's not fully trained, and-"

"No Starfire, not everything Nightwing does is right. In fact all most _nothing_ he does is right. Rayn is fine where she is, if you haven't noticed nothing's destroyed, and she hasn't attempted to run yet."

Starfire still looked hesitant. Raven sighed, and raged internally. "Look I need to meditate, I'll talk to you guys later." With that she disappeared in a cocoon of black magic.

Cyborg also left with a lame yet plausible excuse of having to fix the T-car, leaving Starfire alone with Rayn.

* * *

She twitched, and a permanent tick was developing above her eye, if Starfire continued talking for another hour, she was going to commit suicide, and pray that death wouldn't expose her to such torture.

She closed her eyes, and slowly counted to three, and with painstaking slowness opened them again…..Damn…She was still there. She shivered, and mentally sobbed, life was so cruel.

_Two hours later._

The alarm went off, interrupting Starfire in the middle of her explanations of furgotnorphs….There was a god out there watching out for her. Rayn sighed in relief, but stiffened as the rest of the Titans filed into the common room.

Nighwing came in last, and he tensed when his eyes landed in her. "What is she doing out of the holding room, and where are her leg braces? _Who. Let. Her. out?_"

His gaze hardened, as he sized up the Titans, his gaze lingering on Cyborg and Raven.

"Me."

He all but growled at the empath. "What the hell were you thinking, when did you become so unbelievingly naïve?"

Raven sneered. That was sad. Saying she was naïve was like saying he was the joker's evil twin, or Slade's illegitimate son. "You honestly think that locking her up was a good idea, that humiliating her was decent plan? You honestly think I if you keep talking that I won't call you out on your bull crap?"

He visibly paled. "You wouldn't?"

"**Try me**…"

Nightwing shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, before clearing his throat, and wisely changing the subject.. "We got a distress call."

"We know that dude, what's it about?"

"I was getting to that, a few unidentified presences…arrived today in our area, we just found out recently, and we're to check out the situation to see of their hostile, or potentially dangerous."

"Unidentified, as in U.F.O material?"

"Possibly. Of course we could've known sooner if _someone_ had told us." Nightwing looked pointedly at Raven.

She flew him the bird, while maintaining her stoic manner. Cyborg snorted, while Nightwing gave a slight frown. This would be a long day.

They followed the check points, while Raven lead them to where she had felt the shockwaves coming from. She traced the energy, reaching out for it, and drawing it in.

The terrain was a barren landscape, desolate of all life, and common placement. No people,no animals, dead squirrels didn't count….

They went around a hill, and came to a stop, and an eerie silence surrounded them…. Holy Shit…..that was the crappiest looking ship they had ever seen, what person in their right mind would ride in that, regardless of how good their life insurance was, and while they were checking out the crappy ship, they were being assessed by two very formidable looking females, hiding surreptitiously behind the bushes.

* * *

end of chap, and I hope you liked it, r and r and thank you for all of the positive reviews already


	7. House Arrest

New chap, I apologize this is so late I've had so much to do, it's not even funny, and I just keep getting more. It could have been better, probably but anyways R and R, and I'll try to get a new chap up as soon as possible.

* * *

"We have company." Raven surveyed the area, trying to see what exactly her powers were alerting her to. The Titans all got into a defensive position, while Raven continued to scan the landscape.

"Hot and bad, or good and spicy?"

Raven inwardly blanched and paused to glare at Cyborg, "I'm not helping you get an alien girlfriend."

He sighed dismally. "That's cruel Rae. You know I'm in dire need of female companionship."

"Do what every other desperate male does, and buy a dog…or come up with a believable sob story, and start stalking whoever's dumb enough to believe you."

"Ok, How about my evil half-demon sister is cruel, and has absolutely no concern for the welfare of her poor unfortunate brother."

"I have a better one; my half robot brother is so pathetic that he needs me to manipulate the mind of an unfortunate alien to date him as a cruel and unusual punishment, and therefore totally ruining the whole built on trust part aspect of the relationship."

"But that kind of thing would ruin my rep." He whined.

She raised one elegant eye brow. "Honestly I doubt the whole fan club of six year olds you accumulated will care about your brain washed girlfriend."

He frowned, "Oh yeah, well-"

"Guys-"

"Oh yeah, what? You think they might care, are you honestly trying to get that kind of attention from them?"

"Guys-"

Cyborg looked at her appalled. "NO! I'm not a pedophile."

"And yet what you do in the sanctity of your room is always a mystery."

He gave her incredulous look, and scoffed indignantly. "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle Raven?" He glared at her his gaze cool, and filled with carefully restrained fury. "If you are going to patronize me about being in my room, then I suggest you stop hiding in yours. Don't be a hypocrite Raven." With those simple words, everyone froze simultaneously holding their breath. They all knew he had stepped into a non-returnable, unforgivable territory, and if he went much farther Raven would skewer him. They were unnerved at the cold calculating look Raven sent to him. It was indifferent, but the undertone held rage in its rawest form.

"**GUYS." ** Nightwing glared at them. "Focus, we have a mission." He gestured at the ship, that should have been scrap metal a long time ago.

"What's your point?" Raven slowly directed her attention to him, her anger still apparent. "The unknowns are over there jack ass." Raven wordlessly motioned at the boulders, with the slight inclination of her head. Nightwing frowned, and directed a murderous glare in her direction.

Raven gazed back evenly, obviously not intimidated….

"Good Lord, you humans can't stop bickering with each other long enough to accomplish even simple tasks can you?"

--

Daja glanced at the figures in front of her with unadulterated mirth. The tension between the lot of them had settled heavily in the clearing, the smell was overwhelming, and had successfully scared off all the animals for miles. It was unbelievably sad how close they all were to murdering each other.

"Who are you?"

She looked at the speaker, the leader apparently. "I would give you my title, but as you seem…" She cleared he throat slowly, not bothering to hide her chuckle. "….lacking in patience among other things, you may call me Daja."

The abnormally optimistic looking one, with ruby colored hair was staring at her curiously. "How is it that you speak earthen language?"

"Earthen language is spoken frequently at my home….more or less, so it was relatively simple to learn, especially since in my occupation it's basically required. Besides for the most part my people don't need words to communicate."

"Then how do you communicate?"

Daja smirked sardonically, and gave the metal man an evil smile. "We sniff each other's butts till we figure out the message, duh."

She stiffened, as she felt invisible fingers pass through her awareness, and lightly pick through her mind, as if it was simply sifting through papers. It wasn't in any way painful, it was just….unnerving. She snarled, flashing her teeth angrily, and shoved the presence out of her mind, forcefully ejecting it elsewhere.

Daja shuddered, and glared icily at the team.

The pale one with violet hair stared at her skeptically, and Daja gazed stonily at her. What right was it that made it ok to pick through her mind?

"Just out of curiosity, when do you plan on introducing us to your companion, or were you planning to ambush us?"

Daja rolled her eyes. "You're a very shrewd little girl."

The empath gave a small smirk. "Just because I'm short doesn't mean you're older than me."

Daja's face mirrored the empath's expression. "Your right, it just means you're unnaturally short."

Raven's smirk melted into an annoyed frown. "Average height."

"Yeah right, Midget."

"I'm older than you with sufficient seniority."

Daja smiled evilly. "No you're smaller with stunted growth."

Raven snorted disbelievingly. "Don't talk big smart ass. You're all of an inch taller than me."

"Taller is taller."

Raven muttered dangerously glaring at the changeling, who to her surprise shook her head reprovingly. "Calling me rude names isn't going to make you have a growth spurt."

Raven's thoughts took a sadistic turn, and she made no attempt to turn them elsewhere. Her foremost thought was to break the nuisance in half, and have fun with pieces left over. She almost smiled at the elusive thought.

--

Aerin watched in confusion. What in the hell? Hadn't the mage just mentioned her? Now both her companion and their interrogator were ignoring her. How short were their attention spans anyway?

She rubbed her temple, the head ache was inevitable at this point, and she knew it. First Daja had lied to her, her whole life, making the hell she went through during her childhood seem totally pointless, and unnecessary. Than Severin….She didn't want to think about him, but what concerned her in the present oddly enough wasn't any of these things.

It was this team. This oddly suicidal team. From birth she had been taught pack mentality. She was to always respect the alphas, and those of higher rank. She was to always earn her share, and keep the pack's safety in mind. Things like this were engraved in her memory since she was able to walk.

This lot though, they weren't what she was use too. They were wary of each other. They were tense, and snappish. They didn't trust themselves, or each other enough to function as a true team, however they remained together, without any sense of balance, or concept of teamwork.

In her home the guildmaster, Toran would have murdered them by now, literally, simply for being stupid enough to endanger the pack, by not working together.

She blinked as she focused again. She could've sworn she heard her name.

"Aerin get the hell over here."

She groaned internally, and ambled out from behind the boulder. Stupid. Everything was stupid.

--

Daja watched with a bemused expression, as her charge trudged dejectedly out to stand beside her.

"You look like crap." Aerin did as Daja so delicately put it look like crap. Her hair was in messy curls, contrary to its normal reserved bun, and her tunic was wrinkled. The large bags under her eyes only emphasized her lack of sleep, and patience.

To be perfectly honest it was a miracle she was even moving right now, with how sucky the last few days had been.

Aerin rolled her eyes, obviously not caring that much about her current appearance, making Daja's grin widen even more, and an anime tear fell dramatically to the ground. She had trained her so well.

They both knew that if she had been prep-ish, or girly, she'd have been dead a long time ago. As it was she was quiet, deadly, and liked to watch things blow up. It was a triple threat.

Daja growled, and waved off what emo-boy was saying impatiently. "No, we are not here for world domination, or cult purposes, kidnapping, theft, or assassination, and before you ask, we're not running from the galactic police, nor are we in trouble with the justice league, we don't have a record, or a bounty, and we're not here to create more changelings."

Nightwing scowled. "Then why are you here exactly, and why do random shape-shifters keep popping up?"

Daja looked at him attentively. "You've seen more shape-shifters?"

The scowl deepened, but the response was forthcoming, if a little hesitant. "Two, one just showed up, and the other…….. We haven't seen in six years."

--

Raven watched Daja intensely. Whatever they were here for, it seemed to have something to do with shapeshifters, which might involve Beast boy. She wondered fleetingly if it actually was Beast boy……Nah……..

"How old are they?" Raven's eyes widened imperceptibly at her tone, it was almost urgent. Apparently Daja's companion, Aerin was it, was just as surprised at the tone as she was.

"Why does age matter?"

Daja suddenly looked old, and signs of fatigue plagued her features "He came here when he was six, by now he should be in his mid-twenties, by human estimation"

The clearing was silent, eerily silent, so when Nightwing spoke they all heard him, but to Raven it sounded muffled, and distant, what she did hear clearly was;

"I said we know two changelings, one is around thirteen, the other……." His voice wavered, but he carried on. "The other turns twenty-six this year."

--

Daja's face remained grim despite the news. "And where exactly is he?"

She knew her luck was not that good, that they'd hear about the one their looking for, _and_ get to find him in the same day too. That would imply that she had good enough good karma to pull it off, which she really didn't.

"We have no idea." The resigned expression the team had on would have been comical to her in any other situation, but not this one, this one just flat-out sucked.

"How do you not know? If you know his age, you have to have known him. Why don't you know where he is?" Aerin was pissed.

Daja flinched at the outright fury in her voice. She had almost forgotten her charge was there. That would look beautiful on a resume. Yeah, by the way as a body guard I sometimes get caught up in the moment, and forget that I'm suppose to be protecting someone. So if you get you get shot, to be fair I did warn you. That sounded frickin brilliant.

"That's none of your damn business." Nightwing was seething, and anger was rolling off in waves.

It however was the wrong thing to say, and she knew it. Daja sighed, and with resigned steps went to stand next to the other Titans away from the battle zone.

Raven raised a questioning eyebrow, and was answered with a derisive snort.

"Like I want to be in the way in she maims him. Yeah. No."

Daja promptly plopped down in the dust, to watch the fight.

--

Nightwing didn't have time to react, as a staff bashed his head in. He stumbled back, dizzy and in pain. He glared at the attacker only to see three of her, Shit.

He clumsily rolled under her next swipe, and without stopping launched into an uppercut, which unsurprisingly connected. However contrary to what he was hoping, she only landed lithely on her feet, and cracked her knuckles threateningly, readjusting her grip on her staff.

He idly wondered why she didn't shape shift, but wasn't allowed to wonder long, because she launched into another furious assault.

--

"Friends shouldn't we help Nightwing." Starfire watched the battle with ever growing concern.

"We can't Star, this is the equivalent to a duel Nightwing's on his own, no matter how much he gets his ass kicked."

Starfire glared at Cyborg, who elicited an apologetic smile, but nothing else.

The changeling, Daja grinned impishly. "So any bets?"

The onlookers turned to stare at her, "What?"

"You're asking us to bet on a duel, which could permanently mar our friendship with Nightwing if Aerin wins?" Raven asked slowly.

"Yep."

"Just making sure I understood…… in that case my bets on Aerin."

Daja nodded sagely, and Cyborg looked at Raven genuinely surprised at her participation. He gave a light chuckle, and shook his head ruefully. "Well then, I also bet on Aerin."

Starfire looked at the group uncertainly. "I will bet on Nightwing."

Daja rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."

--

Rayn scowled at the metal, as she smashed it violently into the wall again. The cuffs held true though, and her arms protested, as she continued persistently to break them. You know what damn bird brain to the seventh level of hell, to rot with O.J simpson.

Rayn snarled, and slowly took a calming breath. What did Gar always say? She thought fervently of his advice, and facts. He always said; _Vegans secretly rule the world. , _wrong saying, she contemplated, probing deeper, his voice echoed again; _When all else fails turn to t.v. _

Aw hell, why not? This obviously wasn't working….. In the movies when people try to take off their house arrest bracelet what do they always do?

Duh………

She practically ripped the refrigerator door off the hinges. Butter…She needed butter.

--

Raven flew in through the automatic door, using all her self control not to make fun of Nightwing, as long as she didn't have to look at him she'd be fine

She stopped in mid flight, taking in the odd scene in front of her. On the kitchen counter sat Rayn, trying vainly to slick her personalized cuffs with butter, in hopes they'd slip off.

"What are you doing?" She was talented she said it with a straight face, and everything.

--

Rayn didn't feel that worthy of an answer. She knew Raven was very aware of what she was doing anyways. Rayn looked curiously at the new comers who silently shadowed Raven, and wondered where everyone else was.

She got her answer a second later as Starfire flew in, and Cybork trudged in at a slower pace.

Cyborg supported a very shitty looking Nightwing, and his appearance alone was enough to set her off into an eruption of laughter.

"What the hell happened to you?"

* * *

Did you like or dislike, anything to add


	8. Found and Gone

Beastboy shook the dust off his fur, watching disbelievingly as it billowed out into heavy clouds of smoke. He literally hadn't bathed in two weeks, and the dirt was clinging to his fur. It was grimy, and smelled like sweaty socks, and dead rats. His paws had started bleeding yesterday, and at this point they were incredibly tender. Running for a week non-stop hurt like hell….Unfortunately being a jack-of-all-trades paid for a soda at Wally-world , it didn't pay for a car, a bike, or even a plastic skateboard.

He doubted he could even afford a frickin band-aid. The fact that he hadn't even reached the city limits yet was slightly depressing, and more or less on the pathetic side. It was his own fault for letting himself get out of shape for long distance running. Of course if Rayn hadn't disappeared he wouldn't be running now in the first place….

* * *

Rayn giggled gaily, as she watched Starfire try to stop the swelling in Nightwing's eye. "So let me get this straight, you went to go check out the UFO, and these two." She pointed to at Daja and Aerin, "who came out from the ship, and told you they were looking for Uncle Ga- Beast boy (cough) who's suppose to help them in some way to stay safe from an evil Alpha changeling that wants to kill and\or maim everyone, and before explaining this to Sir bird turd the two newbies gave him a black eye and two broken ribs in a "fight" that lasted less than five minutes….."

Daja snickered, and Cyborg nodded his head. "You missed the part where I won twenty-dollars for betting on the eleven year old."

Daja broke into full blown laughter, while Aerin gave an annoyed growl. "I'm fifteen you overgrown junkyard reject….."

"A very touchy eleven year old."

Aerin flew him the bird, and sunk in the couch to sulk, utilizing the full pouting effect. "You're mean."

Daja rolled her eyes, and turned her attention to Nightwing. "I have a question- well actually a few questions…"

He flinched as Starfire took another jab at his eye. "Ask whatever you want, no one's stopping you."

Daja ignored the blatant disregard in his tone, and nodded slowly. "Here you call Aerin's uncle Beastboy right? Um, why is….Beastboy green?"

An eerie silence settled over the room, you could've heard a feather drop, or a pin, or even a paper mache bottle of corona, in the impregnable stillness and uncomfortable atmosphere of the Titan's main room.

"You mean he wasn't…born green…."

Daja blinked once. Twice. Three times. "Are you freakin kidding me? You didn't know that, I thought you said you were his team, his family, but you don't even know his life's basics ! What the hell kind of family are you?"

"It's not like he was exactly forthcoming with information. We thought he was from earth and had a shitty past that he didn't want to talk about, which was ok. We were willing to respect that."

Daja was grinding her teeth together in frustration. Nightwing was lying, he was lying and enjoying himself while doing it. Bastard. She was so pissed she was trembling. She took a deep breath, hoping oxygen would help her temperament. She carefully swallowed her anger, sealing it off for a later time. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, absorbing her emotions like that, because if it starts to build up it would bring out a different, and more dangerous part of her…..

She breathed out slowly, and counted to five. "Okay here's a simpler question what was he like when he was here?"

Nightwing smiled, not the gentle smile that you get when looking at fuzzy animals, or beautiful art, it was more like a; Ha-Ha, I stole you're car, bought you're house, borrowed your gun, and oops….the safety wasn't on. I'm not paying you're hospital bill, even though I hacked into your bank account and stole all your money, so now I'm rich, armed, rollin on 22's, and getting away with my second armed assault charge. Yeah, that kind of smile…..

"He was weak. He was a persistent distraction that continually held us back, and got in the way. He refused to acknowledge when he was being a nuisance, and he was dangerously unpredictable on and off the field. He lacked control, and any sort of discipline, and he failed to demonstrate any of the traits of a dependable team mate."

The room sat in stunned silence, carefully processing what he just said. Then all hell erupted. Cyborg jumped up from the chair he was sitting on, and stormed up to Nightwing fully intending to break him in half. Raven's eyes glowed an unearthly color, completely consumed in a black aura, and she blanketed the whole room in a giant barrier.

The rage in the room was bordering somewhere between bone breaking malice, and unadulterated violence. What threw everyone off was when Daja started laughing, it was a guttural sound that vibrated the air, and it emphasized the wolf inside of her breaking down into fits of laughter.

She laughed till tears streamed down her face, and she was aching for breath.

Aerin blinked, she was beyond confused. "Did I miss something? Didn't he just say something abnormally insulting…Why would that make you laugh, it wasn't funny. In fact I'm considering breaking the rest of his ribs…."

Daja rubbed her eyes, drying the tears that were dominating her face. "Honestly you're uncle is the most intelligent person I've ever met. If he acted weak he had a plausible reason behind it. Frankly I think he acted that way because this team needed it. Teams like this one that are too scared to admit their faults need someone to blame their problems on, as a sort of scapegoat. It seems he played that person well. "

Raven spoke for the first time since they had gotten back. "So you're saying he only acted like illiterate moron because we needed him to be?"

"Yep."

The empath hand's balled into fists. "What exactly do we know about him that isn't a lie? Does Beast boy even really exist, or is he just some made up facade?"

Daja gave a slight shrug. "The only one that can answer that isn't here."

* * *

(_evening two hours later)_

Raven collapsed on her oval water bed, relishing in the silence, and peace that came from being in her room . The events of the day had been overly-exhausting, and in several ways really retarded. After Daja had finished asking about Beast boy she asked why Rayn was handcuffed, and that whole discussion went nowhere except to the side of Nightwing's brain that was labeled "Dick Faggot Jr." because "Cadet Faggot Sr." was too busy pissing off the Justice League in gotham.

Then after that argument Nightwing said they could stay in Terra's old room if they gave him all their weapons, which literally took two hours, because apparently Daja was ready to go to war, and brought every weapon from her planet with her. Every weapon. When she had handed them all their weapons , the whole pile was five feet off the ground. I was waiting for her to pull out some f-22's, a tank, a couple of bazookas. I mean honestly…screw the damn nuclear weapons. If she had tripped she would have blown up the earth on accident.

Now at eight I'm ready to go to bed, and that is sad, but truthfully I need the sleep if I'm going to last through tomorrow. I have a feeling something's going to happen soon.

Ugh intuition sucks…

* * *

_In Terra's room_

Aerin stared at the ceiling. She was bored, and her mind was restless. This whole situation was weird, running from a mother that she hates and that hates her in return, asking for help from an uncle she's never met, beating on a guy that's being a complete ass for no reason. Not that it wasn't fun, but…

She sighed, and stumbled off the bed, morphing as she landed. Her hands turned into petite paws, and her teeth into long elongated fangs. That's thing about being a hybrid, she's gets perks from both genes. Her fangs elicit a potent poison, and although she has the body of wolf. She has the fluidity and grace of a snake, and the poison of a cobra. She was small in size, but she had a heavy coat of fur that was as dark as midnight.

She padded out of the room, letting the shadows guide her. She passed Cyborg's room, and changed into a trot, loping into the common room.

Rayn's scent overrided her senses, and she slowed to a walk . She stopped a foot away from the backside of the couch, and got into a crouch, readying for a jump.

"Don't even think about it.

Rayn smelled her as soon as she got into the room. She was going to ignore it but then she heard her about to jump, and possibly bruise her, and decided a confrontation was inevitable. She snarled, and tripped on her way off the couch, and another growl escaped as she felt the wolf's amused eye's on her.

She sent her awareness to the wolf, and grinned in satisfaction as Aerin jumped slightly.

"_What do you want?"_

The canine tossed her head and snorted. **"I couldn't sleep sue me."**

"_Why come here?"_

"**Why shouldn't I come here?"**

"_Way to go around the question."_

"**Maybe you should ask a smarter question."**

Rayn rolled her eyes, and trudged back to the couch, and plopped unceremoniously into the cushions. Her eyes narrowed as Aerin followed her.

"**Take me to the roof."**

"_Um…no. Go by yourself."_

"**I'm lacking in hands, and opposable thumbs right now. I need you to open the door."**

Rayn glared at the wolf before her. _"Change back and you won't have that problem."_

Rayn's glare crumbled as the wolf laid out on the floor, and gave a soft whine, utilizing her small size to appear tiny and fragile.

"You're a manipulative ass you know that." Rayn stumbled off the couch again, winding her way blindly to the door. She felt around for the key pad, and impatiently punched in the code. The door slid open with a soft swish. The wolf bounded energetically out of the room, Rayn following sullenly behind her.

"_Why am I here again?"_

"**Because I want to know everything you know about Beast boy."**

Rayn forgot to breathe for a second, but tried valiantly to recover her normal suave-ness…..that she more or less had…..kinda…..

"_What makes you think I know more than the rest of the team about Beast boy?"_

"**Well for starters, if you didn't know anything you wouldn't be sweating bullets right now, and if in theory you were a good liar, which realistically you're not, than your scent alone would give you away."**

"_How did my scent give me away?"_

"**Prolonged exposure to a person tends to make their scent linger on you. The scent is off but you smell vaguely like Beast boy's room, so you must have been around him earlier, before you were put into the Titan's generous hospitality."**

Rayn snorted loudly before giving a resigned sigh, and looking yearningly at the vast expanse of sky above them, before answering Daja's original question. _"The only thing that that jack ass got right about him was that he was unpredictable. Everything else was a load of bull. He's the strongest person I know, albeit the strangest. I wouldn't trust anyone but him with my life, but all of this makes you wonder. What else he's hiding, and how it's going to effect the future."_

Aerin nodded thoughtfully. **"On the way here I asked Daja about him. She said he was a prodigy at birth. He could look at any battle plan, and turn it into conquering strategy. He was leading our battalions at age five, and dominating at age six. Apparently though his parents were ruthless, and did everything in their power to make him the perfect tool. He was smarter than that though. He knew they needed him, so he used that to his advantage. Eventually they tried to break his spirit instead, and whatever they were doing to him worked. It drove him to do something considered unforgivable in pack culture…"**

"_Wait a sec, what exactly did he do that was so bad? I mean he can barely look at sushi without becoming nauseous, I doubt he could stomach actually hurting someone…intentionally…..on Mondays….."_

Aerin shook her from head side to side. **"I don't know, Daja refused to tell me what he did that pissed off the whole pack."**

"_Did he ask them to become Vegans? That irritates lots of people here."_

"**Yeah right as if he could get a bunch of blood mucking canines to go Vegan for any amount of time. It was probably somewhere along the lines of interacting with tiger shape shifters or something….."**

Rayn nodded in agreement. _"So what does all this mean? If you find him how is he suppose to help you anyway? Even if he was as powerful as you say, that doesn't mean he's at the same level he was back then."_

Aerin's head bobbed uncertainly, and her ears flattened against her head. **"He's going to have to be that and more, or a lot of people are going to get hurt."**

**

* * *

**

_A week earlier with the evil jack butts._

Lady Alanna, mother of Aerin, daughter of Leviathon, flesh and blood of Garfield slipped past corridor after corridor, never breaking her long and graceful strides. She was to meet with Severin, however giving that swine any advantage, punctuality or otherwise was completely unacceptable.

She changed pace as she again entered the audience chamber, for the second time in two weeks. Unfortunately his face was the first thing she saw walking in. It was sharp, and carefully crafted to accommodate his ever present sneer. His eyes were small and beady, his whole presence was altogether unpleasant. It almost made her sympathize with her daughter.

He let his eyes rest on her chin, wisely avoiding eye contact. "Your grace what exactly do you want us to about our present predicament?"

She arched one elegant eyebrow, feigning total ignorance. "And what predicament might that be Severin?"

"You're daughter has taken her bodyguard and left surely we're not going to sit and do nothing."

"I don't see the problem. It's not as if we don't know where they're going."

Severin's eye's turned into cold slits at her response. "And where are they going….you're grace."

Oh how she hated him, he was right up there with her stupid ass brother. "There are few who would dare to oppose me, and the one's that could do so and live are powerful warriors indeed. In reality there's only one person Daja would tolerate enough to run to for help in this situation. …."

Severin's eyes were alight with unhealthy intentions. "I'm surprised she would go to anyone for help. She's one of the most arrogant warriors in our ranks."

"This is beyond her, alone she would perish, but with his help…"

"Who is he?"

"He's nameless."

Severin gaped in horror. "She asked a reject for help? Is she slow? No one asks those abominations for anything!"

"It doesn't matter. I really don't care about that. I care about handling this as delicately as possible. "

"What did you have in mind?"

"I want you to send three legions down to earth….."

* * *

_The next day…_

Rayn opened one eye, and groaned as the sun enveloped her vision. She crushed her face into the couch but then she couldn't breathe. She was struggling to figure out what mattered more the necessity to breathe, or attempting to go back to sleep without inhaling oxygen, when a rush of familiar scents entered the room.

A second later the raspy voice of a certain empath, mixed with whatever Aerin was saying.

Rayn snarled as they continued to talk, oblivious to her irritation, and blurted out the first thing came to mind.

"Shut the hell up. What's wrong with you both? It's too freakin early in the morning to deal with metahumans, superhumans, or any combination of the two!"

She glared as someone, presumably Aerin snickered. "It's ten o clock in the morning, if anything you need to stop being lazy, and wake up with sun."

Rayn snorted, and plopped back down on the couch. "Sorry can't. Somewhere in my religious text book it says "Thou shalt not waste the morning in work, chores, or any form of manual labor. You will do nothing except sleep, and if you wake up anytime before noon you're disrespecting this command. Punishment for disobedience is to be taken seriously. We don't have to adhere to child abuse laws, among other things.

Aerin chuckled. "That's an interesting religion you've got there, what does it say about laziness, revenge, jealousy, or anger."

"Laziness is an admirable trait, it shows you know how to appreciate what's given to you. Revenge is fun when you don't have to deal with consequences or bruised egos. Jealousy is for stupid people. Anger is what creates stupid people, and after they evolve they'll be bitter people."

Raven rolled her eyes, as she filled her cup with fresh tea. "That's sounds like a very…odd religion…..exactly who do you worship again?"

"Um…you wouldn't know him."

"She just shut you down."

"Shut up."

Rayn rolled off the couch, and trudged groggily to the kitchen. "So what's for breakfast?"

Aerin gave her an exasperated look."Can you please focus on something other than your stomach?"

"Dude back off. Food is essential to a healthy body, a healthy body is essential to training, and training is essential to beating down rude snobs that feel the need to be intolerable in the morning time."

Aerin looked at Raven flatly. "I think we should starve her."

At that moment the alarm echoed through the tower, destroying any expectations of food.

The Titan's assembled in the common room, along with the three changelings. Nightwing was typing furiously on the computer, while at the same time glaring at the large monitor. He was brilliant at multi-tasking.

Cyborg took a critical look at the screen. "Dude what's the emergency?"

"Six large, and unidentified aircrafts just landed in our area."

"Are they packin?"

Daja paled at the sight of the ships. They were gargantuan in size. They had giant jet propulsion systems, and even bigger guns, but the core of her fear was the giant crest on the side that represented her leader.

"Shit….."

Aerin nodded mutely in agreement. They were royally screwed.

"I thought we would have more time than this we haven't even started looking for your uncle yet! We are in no position to fight this many of them. It's like making a freakin chihuahua fight a pride of lions, or making a pigeon taking on a group of reindeer, or something like that. The odds are not good. At all."

Aerin remained silent, letting Daja vent. Her bodyguard abruptly stopped, cutting herself off, and took a deep shuddering breath, before calming down, which is exactly what Aerin was waiting for.

"So what do we do? If they capture us they won't stop at imprisonment. They'll make our lives hell."

Daja gave a small evil smile, "That's an easy one we just won't get captured."

Nightwing looked from one changeling to another. "Is there a simple way to deal with this that doesn't end in possible imprisonment or torture?"

Daja's grinned widened. "Nope, not unless we get a miracle."

Raven shook her head disbelievingly. "How you can say that and still be smiling _is_ a miracle."

* * *

Clouds of dust swirled erratically about the canyons, as five silver ships landed in their wake. The giant moon crest gleamed eerily among the tiny particles of dirt. Increasing the sense of foreboding that already enveloped the area.

The ships doors creased and fell into a vertical ramp, warrior after warrior, of every rank and age streamed out. The ground shook from the sheer number of soldiers that poured from the ship, and the air thundered from the sound of their footsteps, but at the very back of this near invincible force stood a sharp faced man with beady eyes.

The Titans, on the roof of the tower, stared down in complete shock at the immense fighting force before them.

"Oh my god. Why did they bring thousands of soldiers just to capture two people?"

Daja never turned to look at the speaker but answered in a grim tone. "If we had actually found…..Beast boy…They would have needed this many fighters."

Daja hefted her weapon, compulsively tightening her grip, and flipped into the air executing a perfect high jump off of Titan's tower with Raven and Starfire not too far behind air.

Aerin looked over the edge of the tower before turning back to smirk at the Titan boys. "Don't be scared you two if anything goes wrong, it's ok to leave the real work to us females, after all we are the better gender."

Aerin laughed as their faces grew red in indignation, and she took a giant leap off the tower flawlessly redoing Daja's jump.

The group dashed to the front lines of the army, and stopped when they saw Daja frozen.

Aerin came up behind her. "What's wrong why'd you stop?"

"Why indeed?"

Daja snarled menacingly at the new voice. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and her body grew rigid. "Severin…."

Aerin grasped her staff tighter, till her knuckles turned a ghostly white.

"Why did you stop? Is it because you know this is pointless? Is it because you know that you don't stand even the slightest chance against such odds, so why even bother to try."

Daja gave a low chuckle, and her eyes gleamed with an unnatural light. She had restrained her emotions too long. It was about to affect her in a really negative way. "No I stopped because I can't seem to decide which part of you I wanted to cut off….. your lying tongue, or any chances of you having pups in the future."

Severin's face twisted into a snarl . "What an amusing thought. However I doubt you can do anything in this situation except to comply, and deal with the consequences of your stupidity."

"Then you're a fool for a _doubting_someone who has nothing to lose."

She crouched, and without warning lunged at the nearest soldier

"Titan's go!"

* * *

Rayn watched from the tower as Daja took out the soldier closest to her, and the Titan's rush into action. She felt pathetic and useless. She should be down there helping them, but these damn restrainers…..She smashed her arms against the wall in frustration, and didn't blink when hundreds of pieces of hardened plaster littered the air.

She was pissed…..and…you know what else….There was no way to improve the situation.

* * *

Beast boy smelled her. This was uncool. Why was she here? What could have possibly compelled her to come here? It had to have been a huge freaking reason. He increased his pace, and was now running at break neck speed. They had been best friends. She had been his only friend, but why the hell was Daja here? He resolved to find out as Titan's tower came into view.

Nightwing brought his round house kick into neck of a soldier, and without stopping his momentum followed up with an upper cut to the chin of a soldier to his right, and was satisfied to hear a loud crack. He wanted to scream as he swarmed by another fifty soldiers after he had just taken down like ten. This was getting ridiculous.

Starfire yelped as she was laid out by a bear, who then turned into a dark ginger furred wolf, with cruel lifeless eyes. He lunged at her and she was then overwhelmed in a bone crushing dog pile, (I mean that in a very literal sense.) She trembled, gathering her power, and then let loose a giant explosion, knocking out any wolf within a ten foot radius. She gasped in disbelief as she was almost instantly surrounded again by more soldiers. Why did they keep coming?

Raven threw another wolf off the cliff, and grew annoyed when another one took a giant leap for her face, and was terribly disappointed when a black aura slammed into the ground. Ugh….They never ended…

Cyborg shot a group of wolves into the air, and watched amusedly as they made giant dents in the ground upon impact. A soldier jumped on his back, hell bent on screwing with his main frame, and Cyborg grabbed him roughly by the neck and threw him into the closest group of wolves.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Cyborg whined as fresh fighters poured into the fray.

* * *

Aerin's arms trembled in exhaustion, as she blocked an attack meant to skewer her. She snarled at the attacker and slammed her staff roughly into his ribs, and growled louder as they cracked.

"Yeah it hurts doesn't it?"

"Not bad, as expected from the daughter of Lady Alanna."

Aerin turned stiffly to face Severin's smirking face.

His tone was laced with fake respect, and overdone politeness. It was insulting. "I think it's time you came with me you're grace."

Aerin wavered, but then twirled her staff expertly in the air. "You'll have to take back my lifeless corpse because as long as I'm alive I'm not going back."

His smile grew cold. "As you wish."

He snapped his fingers, and a score of soldiers charged her, fully intending to shred her in half. She sidestepped one, and was knocked into the path of a barbed weapon. It gouged her side, biting deep into the skin, leaving a giant gash.

She howled in fury, and lashed out, knocking back the wave of attackers. She almost cried in relief when she felt Daja's familiar presence at her back, pressing the soldiers in a wide arc so they weren't within striking range.

Aerin blinked as wave after wave of attackers point blanked them, encompassing them in an unbreakable trap, so they were always surrounded. After awhile she lost the ability to understand her surroundings, soldiers faded, and blurred together. She couldn't feel Daja's essence, but everything seemed far away.

She was disappearing into a world of shimmering weapons, and faded people. Suddenly a green blur enveloped her vision, grabbing the soldier nearest to her in his mighty jaws, and crushing the pressured points in his neck.

The green fur ball caught her eyes with his emerald ones, and she felt some of the darkness slowly fading, and her vision slowly returning to it's normal acuteness .

The unknown wolf's eyes flickered to where Severin was standing holding a bound and gagged Daja. Sometime during her mentally exhausted state he must have gotten her. She took a step forward, then stopped as the green wolf growled a warning.

"You're late." He stared at the green wolf, eyes full of malice and disgust. " However we've got we wanted. We'll await you're arrival back home. If you have the guts to come anyways."

The green wolf snarled back a challenge, and planted his paws as if to leap at the bastard, but something in Daja's body language stopped him, as she shook her head, eyes shining brightly in anger. The wolf deflated instantaneously, and his tail drooped as if he'd been whipped.

Severin dragged Daja up the ramp, and stopped at the top. He gave one shrill whistle, and the whole legion of soldiers turned and tramped toward the ships.

The ground shook, less loudly this time, but loud enough, and the whole legion disappeared into the ships. Aerin watched in utter horror as the engines started, and the propulsion systems lifted the heavy ships into the sky, and they disappeared just as the sun set on the horizon.

After all of that Daja was gone.

Beast boy felt something in him die as the ships flew away. He hated himself right now. He hated his home. He hated every freaking soldier that showed up today. He hated his sister the most, and her stupid ass lap dog, Sea-vet, or Kevin, or whatever the hell his name was.

He gave himself a rough shake, and changed into his human form, ignoring the aching pain that came with the morph.

The girl that smelled like Alanna limped toward him, and gave him a downcast look. She was bleeding badly in several places, and beads of sweat ran down her forehead. Beast boy inspected her physical appearance, she vaguely looked like his sister, which led him to the conclusion that;

"You're my sister's kid."

The girl nodded solemnly.

He couldn't think of anything to say except; "I'm sorry."

She gave a tired chuckle, and tried to remain inert so she wouldn't further agitate her already infected wounds.

The Titan's slowly meandered over to them, Nightwing in front, followed closely by Starfire, Cyborg, and then at the rear was Raven. Damn…..Raven grew her hair out…and dyed her cloaks white…..She looked hot….

Beast boy quickly pushed thoughts of Raven aside, and met Nightwing's glare with one of his own. "Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on!"

* * *

I'll update as soon as possible no promises because updating is getting harder because my teacher hates me and likes giving me extra i had five presentations this month alone. So bear with me. R and R


	9. Disrespect and Issues

Sorry this update is so late. I've been busy, but it's summer vacation. So i should finish this story soon-ish

* * *

Garfield snarled at Nightwing, relishing the momentary look of doubt that crossed his face, before he wiped it clean, apting for his normal indifferent look. Nightwing was unfreakin-belivable among other more unpleasant words, if he thought the stoic act would work in his favor, he was obviously not the most intelligent primate was he?

Garfield rolled his eyes, his impatience getting the better of him. "Are you going to answer my question blunder boy, or do I have to set your ass on fire, and watch as your vampiric body melts into ashes. What the hell is going on? Why are random changelings showing up?"

Nightwing chuckled. It was an eerie sound that would terrify any lesser beings. " You're asking all the questions we were planning to ask you? Why don't you enlighten me because I'm curious Beast boy, how long were you lying to us? I read your profile, born in Detroit, rasied in Africa, infected with a radioactive monkey which resulted in your coloring, and powers because your parents tried to save you. Not long after that, there was a boating accident in which they were both killed while you alone survived. Then you were given to thieves, who made your life hell, and they sold you to scientists who turned you into their plaything. After three years of that you were one of the experiments rescued by Hawk girl, and were briefly around during the beginning of the Justice League. An event happened and you left them only to be picked up by the Doom Patrol, and then your sorry ass ended up with us. That story's bull. I'm curious exactly how much of it is crap anyways? Is there even more than one true part in that whole freakin story?"

Somewhere during the middle of Nightwing's talk Garfield had started to give him a different look. It was intense, filled with emotions that were so in depth it was difficult to not stare. By the end of the history lesson dubbed: The Life and Times of Garfield as told by; Sir Blunder Brat, the green man was rigid, whether in shock or in anger it was impossible to tell.

" Who says it's not true?" The quiet response caused Nightwing to pause. Everyone had been listening, without saying anything simply because they were completely thrown off that Nightwing went _there. _You don't screw around in a heroes past not only was it a breach of trust, it was a really really uncomfortable subject, and Gar's response was surprising……not only because it was abnormally nonviolent but because it was direct admission.

Nightwing rolled his eyes, "Obviously it's not, or there wouldn't be a freakin army of demon changelings out to blow up earth!"

Raven stiffened at the unintended barb, and Garfield saw her. He watched in deliberate silence as the momentary flash of annoyance blanked out of her eyes. Gar rumbled, a feral growl that caused Aerin to turn rigid. It was the same exact growl that wasn't even a; I'm gonna rip your face off growl. It was a warning, and the meaning behind it was unmistakable.

Garfield felt his other half, tearing at his control, not only was Nightwing disrespecting him, he was disprspecting his family, Raven in particular…..

"**Destroy this putrid human that wants to break everything he sees. He insults our skills, our honor, our reliability. He hurts even his own teammates, his pack. He doesn't care about anything except his hair, which is totally ruined anyways because of all the girly crap he puts in it, combined with the fact he never washes it."**

Garfield grinned sardonically. _"Haven't heard from this side of me in a while. I'm surprised you didn't try and take control when you saw Daja."_

"**I told you I want nothing to do with your hypocrisy, you say you wanna play the hero, and you don't want to kill; Well guess what now we're being pulled back into pack life and this bull crap you picked up on earth will get us killed back home. Am I right to say we're going to home to save Daja? You are aware that if you go as you are you'll be useless and she will die in a very cruel and painful way, right?Especially since Aly now leads back home."**

"_Of course we're going back."_

"**And…"**

Garfield pursed his lips,_ "Don't patronize me. I'll do what I have to when the time comes, not before ."_

"**You've gone soft….It's pathetic."**

Garfield bared his teeth as his other side melted away, and he carefully tuned back into the ongoing conversation. Nightwing was still glaring at him. He rolled his eyes, but blinked as he took in Aerin's stiff posture. She was looking at him with a weary tolerance, searching for any signs of violence.

He relaxed his aggressive stance, and gave her the smallest of nods. She gave a sigh of relief and completely deflated, slightly inclining her head in acknowledgement.

Garfield turned his attention back to Nightwing, and his voice though soft was filled with the promise of hell."Nightwing, I'm going to say this once. You don't have to care about, or even like me, but you will respect me and mine. The way you treat your team is pitiful, and I won't let you treat the people I care about with the same blatant disregard. Hate me if you want, but don't let your petty insecurities blind you. These changelings came to find me for a reason, and I need to find out why."

Nightwing pursed his lips in anger.

A blue metallic arm held him back, as Raven stepped forward her voice was soft, cutting through the hostile atmosphere. "They," she gave a nod at Aerin, "came here for protection. Apparently, Aerin's mother is psychotic, and abusive.. She wants to control, and ruin her daughter, but Aerin resisted…. Daja was her bodyguard, and she brought her here in hopes you would help keep her safe."

Gar had remained quiet throughout Raven's explanation, but when she finished he looked at Aerin with a newfound curiosity.

"So you were Daja's charge, and Alanna's daughter? So to summarize, you're the daughter of the most unstable, vindictive, fickle person alive, and the charge of the most temperamental, violent, and headstrong female in existence?"

Aerin rolled her eyes. "Well when you say it like that you make it sound like I've survived with the two scariest people in _any_ existence."

Garfield gave her an incredulous look, before turning serious. "Those monsters aside, why come for my help? I'm not the same in strength or character, and Daja must have known that I couldn't have protected you."

Aerin's hazel eye's darkened.

"But you were the only one she knew she could trust."

----------------------

Daja snarled at the utter futility of her situation. It came out as more of a muffled grunt due to the gag that covered her mouth. That damn jerk off advisor decided that having her gagged was preferable to having her screaming the several ways she was planning on dismembering him. It was a shame too. They were such good ideas.

What really pissed her off was that this whole capture, torture, sentence to death thing happened before, and _he _came to get her. The fact that this happened not once but twice in one lifetime was demeaning in so many ways. On top of all that she saw _him _at the battle. _He_ was there, staring at Severin with such hatred when she was dragged away. _His_ teeth were bared, and if Severin were within range she had no doubt they would have been closing around his throat.

What bugged her was how different _he _looked. _H_e was bigger than she remembered, and that was to be expected, but _he _was…..different….._He_ had changed, the edge that _he_ had as a child wasn't there anymore, and that was a cause for concern. She had no doubt_ he_ would come after her, but in the condition _he_ was in, Alanna would kill him, and laugh while _he_ died in the most painful way her twisted mind could imagine.

The fact of the matter was, she was in no position to escape, unless you were a veteran elite you would die before breaking your restraints. She was an elite, but she was lacking in the experience area. So she was forced to rely on others as a means to escape.

She growled ferally into the gag again. . ..Damn. This whole situation royally sucked.

"Shut up you disgusting mutt."

Her head snapped back, as she was back handed across the face. Her eyes watered, as the stinging in her cheek increased.

She seethed as Severin smirked at the red mark spreading across her face.

"So how does it feel you disgusting dog to be completely at my mercy? Does it terrify you? It should, as of right now your very life depends on how generous I'm feeling."

Daja mentally snorted. Generous my ass, you're a vain monkey, complete with flees, and an IQ of 45.

He ran soft hands, a testament to his lifestyle: which consists of being lazy, useless, and altogether pampered-through his thinning hair. He leaned in so she could feel his rank breath brushing over her ear.

"I would suggest begging. I might be persuaded to at least tell Alanna to only cripple one body part instead of completely breaking you like she wants to."

Daja grit her teeth. She was entering a new kind of hell, with pompous assholes, and where lesser kinds of torture were considered a reward. She would not beg. She would die first. Dying looked like a very probable option right now though. Dying….Torture…..Either way she was screwed. She wasn't going to fold. She wasn't going to beg. She was going to survive. Then she was going to kill Severin.

-----------------------

Garfield quivered. He was the only one Daja trusted? That's bull. He wasn't strong enough to protect her, or Aerin. Did she trust him to do that?

If so, to be frank-he sucked at it.

He massaged his temples to hinder the oncoming migraine, and looked at his frustrating niece that had the nerve to put things in logical terms when he was trying to deny them.

He sighed. "Honestly, I didn't even come for all this. Don't misunderstand I will fix this, but originally, I just came to get Rayn back. Where is she?"

He frowned suspiciously when Cyborg stiffened. "What?"

Starfire looked at him nervously, and spoke for the first time since he showed up. "Perhaps friend Beastboy, you should….wait till-"

Garfield twitched. "What did you guys do?"

Aerin fidgeted, uncomfortably. "I actually agree. I don't think now's the best time."

His eyes narrowed. "Now you're starting to worry me. What the hell did you guys do?"

----------------------------

It was disturbing how quiet he was when he saw what they did do. They had entered Titan's tower Garfield trailing behind the group, when he stopped at the elevator entrance. His whole demeanor changed. His body tensed, his muscles recoiling, as if he was about to spring, and his lips drew back into a snarl.

Rayn stood there in the middle of broken plaster pieces, with a fake smile on her face."Uh, Hi Uncle Gar…um how's it going?"

Her greeting was met with strained silence. The quiet voice he used didn't fool anybody into doubting how pissed he was. "You put her in a reinforced version of Star's old hand cuffs, then you further demeaned her by putting her in power suppressing _collar_."

Before anyone blinked he had Nightwing up in the air, a vice-like grip on his throat. His voice was barely a whisper. "Taking the fucking collar off. **Now**.**Nightwing**."

His forest green eyes were cold, completely different from the bright, cheerful expression he normally had.

Nightwing grabbed his arm, in an attempt to get oxygen back to his lungs. He pulled, but the grip on his neck only tightened. He managed to wheeze an ok, before he was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. The pressure was gone as quickly as it had come.

Everyone watched stunned as Nightwing stumbled to where Rayn was watching, and hesitatingly jabbed a complicated pattern on the keypad. The collar came off with a small click, and the cuffs followed afterward.

Rayn carefully rubbed her sore wrists, keeping one eye trained on her uncle.

He still had that same indifferent expression, and it was scaring her. What the freak was wrong with him?

She carefully opened her connection with Aerin, tellling her to not look at her, or give away they were talking.

She then mentally voiced her concern.

_"Obviously something's wrong with him. What is it?"_

She heard Aerin growling faintly. "You're a strange changeling. He still trained you though."

It wasn't a question. She nodded anyways.

_"Did he tell you about our primal halves?"_

She nodded, slowly, this time.

_"Ok, well putting a collar on you like your some kind of house pet, pissed off his primal half. He's struggling to control that part of him. You're his family, and that was humilitaing and completely inappropriate. He knows that. He also knows that even though he didn't cause the issue, you're his responsibility. On top of all that he knows Nightwing's an asshole, and is trying hard not to murder his ass....it's gradually becoming a losing battle though."_

_"You seem oddly nonchalant about this."_

_"Control's harder when your older, but he's related to me. He should be fine."_

_"Arrogant much."_

"No, I'm just informing you of my natural superiority."

_"And your disturbingly large ego."_

She heard Aerin mock gasp on her side of the connection. _"I do not have a large ego. I just happen to believe in the concept that loving yourself is healthier than self-abuse."_

Rayn smirked, but cut off the connection, as Garfield's eyes returned to their normal vibrant green. He blinked in confusion, but gave a small smile as understanding came into play.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"So…Is everybody good, besides…you know?" he gestured to Nightwing who was sulking like a brat.

-----------------------

Cyborg chuckled, destroying the pointed silence. "You really haven't changed, your still a dorky grass stain, B."

Raven rolled her eyes at Garfield's behavior. "We're all extremely happy with you telling off Nightwing, but we do need explanations if we're going to help save Daja."

Garfield sobered instantly, and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Raven….I'm not….You can't......You guys can't come……"

Raven raised on elegant eyebrow.

Garfield brushed his sweaty palms off on his pants, and took a deep breath.

"Raven my sister is psychotic. She hate's me. She hates non-changelings almost as much as she hates me. She won't kill you guys. She'll hurt you, till you beg for death. You can't come."

"That's exactly why we should come. Beast Boy, if your sister is that dangerous. There's no way in hell you should be going alone."

He raised his hands defensively in front of himself. "I'd be taking Raynand Aerin, that's not alone."

She snorted. "Their kids. Essentially you'd be going alone."

"Raven…"

"We're going with you Beast Boy. Deal with it."

"But, Rae-"

"Beast boy you disappeared for six years, with absolutely no contact. Did you think leaving again would be so easy?"

The raw emotion in her voice surprised him. Had she been bothered by him leaving that much? Last time he checked he was just the irritating brat she threw out of windows. Did that change without him noticing, Damn it she needed to inform him when things in their relationship change. No person on earth was intelligent enough to predict females intentions, their moods, or their damnable unpredictably.

He swallowed, conscious of everyone looking expectantly at him.

"No…I thought…I…I have no idea what I thought, but I don't what you guys to go, and then get screwed up on my account."

Raven looked like she was counting ten, and Garfield flinched when the lamp beside him exploded showering him with shards of glass.

"Beast boy, we're going with you, whether you agree or not, you owe us that much. Cyborg and myself specifically."

It was a low blow, but it worked. Garfield remained silent, with a glum expression on his face.

"Alright Rae, Alright…"

--------------------------------

Alanna sat on her throne, listening to the tedious man presenting a case before her, about how his pup had been eaten by a eagle, and he wanted revenge. He'd been blabbing for an hour, and her restraint was not at it's best.

She snapped.

"Shut up! Not only are you not qualified to raise a pup, your not qualified to attempt revenge on an eagle that would wipe the floor with your ass, your not even qualified to reproduce. Your wasting my time. Get out of my hall. Now."

She sighed, as he stormed out. She really didn't care if she hurt his feelings.

According to her informant, Severin should be landing with Daja within the hour.

The thought sent a thrill down her spine.

This woman that had defied her at every step, and dared to steal from her…..

She would pay in blood and tears.

She imagined the look on her dear brother's face when he showed up only to see Daja broken and dying on the floor while he watched. Helpless ….

The thought entertained her, while she waited for the latest news.

She stopped day dreaming, as the large double doors opened to reveal her comanding general: Roan.

"What is it?" She remained curt. This had better be urgent.

"Your highness, Rogues have killed a wolf elite."

She inhaled sharply, and lithely slid off her throne. She took long graceful strides, almost in a light jog, but not overly hurried.

"Show me."

He turned and strode after her as she passed by him, taking care not to meet her eyes…. as always.

They turned down several intricate halls, and entered an outer courtyard, there he pushed open the door that led from the palace to the city. He paused, and shifted to his wolf form. He was brown wolf, with strands of gray. He still ran twice as fast, and fought twice as hard as a wolf half his age though.

He scented the air, and paused to look at her.

She sniffed distastefully, and she too shifted. She was as big as he was, but much more sleek. Her coat was a pure white, that showed beautifully in the sun. She flexed her claws, and gave sharp bark.

The brown wolf loped, lunging forward, running at an inhuman speed, that she easily kept pace with.

He ran through the people, ignoring the outraged cries, and the imminent threats of death that filtered to his enhanced hearing. He focused only on the scent of blood.

He increased his pace. He was almost there.

The white wolf's paws lightly skimmed the ground as she ran beside him, matching his every step. She could smell the blood too.

It wasn't the same as the blood of fresh kill. This smelled disgusting. She ran toward it anyway. Someone was threatening her territory, and she needed to know who.

She snarled as the brown one stopped, ears laying flat on his head, baring his teeth. She bypassed him, stepping to the front, and almost lost control at the sight she saw.

On the edge of her territory was a dead pack member. Four deep gashes were indented in it's flesh,and some feral animal had brutally ripped at it's throat, tearing out it's jugular. She felt like howling but restrained herself. She had to be reserved at all times, even when someone was doing an unnaturally good job at killing her warriors.

She slowly melted back into her human form, and felt around the body, for signs of the attackers scent.

There was none.

These people were good.

She was better though.

And they would die for thinking otherwise.

* * *

Thanks for being patient r and r and I'll update asap since i have the time now.


	10. Confused and in Denial

_Whenever you need me, Ill be there  
Ill be there to protect you, with an unselfish love that respects you  
Just call my name and Ill be there_

_

* * *

_

Daja snarled as the rank smell filtered into the cargo hold. It smelled like feet, and dying fish...

She hated fish.

The owner of said B.O. stumbled into her prison just as the ship lurched to stop. She looked blankly up at Severin's ever sneering face and sighed into her gag. This man is the king of back stabbing, lying turds, and she had done everything humanly possible to piss him off this trip.

She crippled two guards. Officially traumatized a third, and broke the fourth-literally. The last one wasn't really intentional, but he had surprised her, and she reacted...and something broke...Beating his crew guards unconscious was only part of it though. She also ruined his symbolic robe that represented his position as an advisor. These robes are connected by a silk sash, which she spilled blood on, and tore to pieces. He was not happy about that...but it felt so damn good. The man was an obsessed freak when it came to his clothing. After she had given the bastard a black eye, left his guards half dead, and ruined his overly expansive clothes he had ordered her restraints to be tightened.

She had automatic cuffs that were linked to the restraints on her feet. Every time she moved the restraints contracted, and became tighter. So if she attempted to do anything besides breathe, or talk she would eventually kill all the circulation in her arms and legs. She liked those particular appendages though, and was going to do everything she could to keep them functioning.

Excluding watching Aerin coming back, and bringing her uncle along.

Daja had been completely shocked when she saw the picture of him back on earth.

First of all; he was green.

Second of all; he looked more carefree and loose than she had ever seen him. If he was as different as he looked...There was no freakin chance in hell that he would be up to coming home, for any reason.

Alanna would eat him alive.

Being around a pack as big as Alanna's was only possible when you were callous, constantly wary, always alert. Ready to fight or flee at anytime. You had to have an edge. Daja didn't see that edge, or even a hint of the wariness that was needed to stay alive in Gar's picture. His gaze looked abnormally cheerful...bordering on innocent even.

Frankly if the green twerp wanted to die, there were so many safer less painful ways to go then giving himself over to Alanna's twisted imagination.

She was yanked out of her thoughts as her next homicide victim had at some point gotten comfortable, and left a disturbing amount of space between the two of them. She could smell his fish intestine breathe. She forced air out of her lungs , and then simply refused to breathe through her nose till he moved.

"Alright you pitiful excuse for a dog. We've arrived at port. Will you accept my deal? It's your only chance of survival." (if you don't know what the deal is it was in the last chapter. He offered to help her if she groveled.)

Daja glowered at him, this idiot must be kidding. He expected a positive answer... while she was gagged.

He growled in his impatience.

"Well?"

He wasn't kidding. Daja rolled her eyes, and did the next best thing besides talking. She sent him an incredibly rude gesture with her middle finger, and chuckled when a big, green vein throbbed above his temple.

She was honest to god surprised. He actually thought that she would consider begging, and ass kissing to get a lame, doomed to fail deal to save her from her royal highness. He was obviously smoking something that kills brain cells.

Daja flinched as Severin gave her chains a brutal yank, and she was dragged to her feet. She was forced to bite back a whine as the restraints tightened. The metal tore into her limbs, leaving split skin, and blood. The light left her temporarily blind, as the door to the cargo hold opened, and she was herded into the hall.

It was time to face the music...

She tried not to twitch.

Gar adored his niece.

He loved Rayne, and would do anything for her, but...

* * *

"IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE I'M GOING TO FREAKING KILL YOU!"

He skidded to a stop around the next corner before lunging after his niece. He screeched to a halt as Rayne slid behind Raven, who had been coming down the hall. The empath in question looked at the cowering Rayne than back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Do I want to know what's going on, or can I just assume one of you did something stupid?"

Gar looked at Rayne accusingly. "She's being a brat, an incredibly brave brat, that obviously wants an abbreviated life span."

The brat in question snorted disbelievingly. "I'm NOT being a brat. All I said was you should let me link with you or Aerin so I can watch some memories and understand the situation better."

His face visibly hardened.. "Let's review shall we? So far we've explored almost all your mental capabilities, and frankly memory sharing has never been your forte. Every time you've tried something went wrong for you or the person you're tuned with,not to mention mind surfing physically and mentally drains you to the point of a complete burnout. Last time you tried it you almost went into a coma. I refuse to put you at risk like that again."

His niece's face morphed into a snarl. "Alright since you won't let me do that, why don't you do me a huge ass favor and freakin talk to me! You haven't told me anything remotely helpful since getting here."

Gar blinked as that sunk in. _Oops..._

"I haven't?"

"No."

"Nothing at all?"

Rayne rolled her eyes, completely irritated by now. "No, nothing..."

Gar sighed. This was rapidly becoming routine. He screws up at sometime in his ridiculously problem orientated life, and it comes back to bite him in the ass. If he didn't inform everyone about customs, rules, training, and his old life in general...undoubtedly something would go wrong, and someone would get strung up by their diaphragm on a string, while eating dead cockroaches, and digesting worms.

**"Someone's cranky...and that's completely disgusting by the way."**

_"You're an extension of me, you're feeling this too."_

**"Yes well, I'm the extension of you that isn't a spineless moron that refuses to see past the damn nightmares and insecurities."**

_"You're right you're also the one without any concept of right and wrong."_

**"I don't lack a conscience. I have one that's rather clear. You on the other hand twisted your conscience into ignorance and naiveté."**

Gar internally seethed as the voice melted away. He vowed to deal with his mental baggage later.

He came back to the present as a pale slender hand waved away in front of his face.

His favorite empath sent him an annoyed look. "You spaced out."

"I was thinking." Then something else caught his attention.

"Where's Rayne?"

Raven pointed down the hallway, in the direction she had come.. "She said you could come find her later after you were done daydreaming, while standing in puddles of drool. She also said to calm down, and go train in the gym. It'll help your pms-ing, and ancient muscles."

"Those are...interesting mental images...and also rude, and totally inappropriate comments...I'm twenty-six Rae. She makes it sound like I'm pushing senility all ready."

Raven brushed a lone strand of hair behind her ear."Well...lately you've been acting like an old grumpy parent though. Not to mention she's a teenager. Teenagers hate authority. Guess what you are?"

"The person that gave his nieces to a hot purple haired teammate?" He tried

Raven chuckled softly. "I'll give you points for effort, but sadly I don't like them that much."

* * *

Aerin grumbled, as she scrubbed the grime off her staff. She was bored. Extremely bored. She wanted something to do...anything...

She froze, as footsteps paused outside her door, and a familiar smell tickled her nose.

She spoke to soon.

She grudgingly, walked to the door, and punched into the code.

As soon as the last button was pressed she was already walking back to the space she had claimed to finish her awe inspiring, attention span grabbing, cleaning job.

Rayne's small frame filled the door entrance before slipping inside, and taking the nearest empty seat.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to ask how were you were doing?"

Aerin made a noise somewhere between a snort, and laugh.

"That good huh?"

Her hands tightened around the staff till her knuckles were a ghostly white color. "I just lost everything in the span of twenty four hours...Daja was my best friend, and my mother is going to break her. My "uncle" is no where near as powerful as I was led to believe, and this whole...freakin...situation...is absolute bull shit. Don''t ask me if I'm alright."

Rayne looked she was trying hard not to grimace. "What am I suppose to ask then? How's your diet going? When you shift do you attract flees?Are you the legal drinking age on your home planet?" She was on a roll now, with no end in sight.. "Oh, I know! How bout I ask if you've ever chased your own tail, while running around in circles? Are those better questions?"

Aerin's eye twitched. "Not reall-"

"Okay, what about studying? Do you read long books with an ungodly amount of adjectives, and almost no storyline to get...um... smarter?"

"What the hell kind of random question is tha-?"

"Can you cook without actively poisoning someone?"

"Ray-"

"Barbecue?"

"Ra-"

"Grill?"

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP RAYNE?"

The young changeling fell silent as she took in Aerin's crazed look, and the deep, calming breathes she was taking to steady herself. She looked exhausted, with bruises under her eyes from lack of sleep, no doubt from nightmares. She also sported uncombed hair, wrinkled clothes and a really bad temper.

"You look like shit."

The tired look was briefly replaced with amusement. "Thanks, you always know how to make a person feel better."

Rayne had the decency to blush. "Oh shut up. You're like the least sensitive person I know."

Aerin smirked lightly. "Guilty."

The two sat in companionable silence...till Rayne broke it. "I have a favor to ask."

The depressed moan from her taller friend made her laugh.

* * *

Gar banged on the door in hopes of getting an answer.

Nothing.

He banged harder...still no response.

"Cyborg if you don't open the door, I'm gonna break in the ventilation shafts, and come into your room uninvited."

He heard a crash, followed by a muffled curse before a very annoyed Cyborg appeared at the door.

"What do you want grass stain?"

"Name calling isn't very nice, Cy."

"Neither is whoever stunted your growth."

Gar merely stuck his tongue out in response, which earned an eye roll from the giant metal man.

"Seriously dude, what do you want?"

Gar's face did a three sixty, from the playful smirk he had been wearing previously to an expression of grave attentiveness.

"We need to talk."

Cyborg sat in a chair waiting expectantly for his friend to talk, and/or elaborate.

"Well to start, What have you guys been doing since I was gone?"

_How to answer delicately?_ Cyborg scratched the back of his head with one metal finger. "For all six years?"

Gar nodded slowly.

"Training, beating up loser bad guys, giving loser bad guys ideas so they can be upgraded to stupid incompetent bad guys...same old same old."

Gar's eyes narrowed at him. It was suddenly rather cold in the room, and it had nothing to do with the hell freezeth over glare he was getting from his green friend...nothing at all...

"And your guys' teamwork?"

The contemplative look the grass stain had was starting to irritate to him. It didn't look natural on his face.

"What about it?"

"Has it suffered since I left? Can you all look at each other, and earnestly say you can rely on all the members of the team to have your back?"

Cyborg blinked. Was that what this discussion about? Gar wondered if he the team could still function properly? That was going to be easy to answer. They were a fuckin mess. After Beastboy left with the little girl the team basically fell apart. No more accurately, it split down the middle. It was Raven and him versus Starfire and Nightwing. Unfortunately, Nightwing's team was frequently winning. Bastard. All that aside the changeling was fishing. The question is why? Did he need the answers because he was feeling guilty, or was it because there was some other incentive.

Cyborg sighed in aggravation. "Gar since you left the word team doesn't apply. Everyone's constantly on their toes around each other. Raven is waiting for Nightwing to have one more major mess up, before she eviscerates his major organs, and makes him eat them. I personally try not to leave the garage."

"That's pretty normal actually."

The sardonic look he sent the string bean apparently meant something cause he shut up.

"Ever. I try not to ever leave the garage, unless I need to sleep, or go on a mission. I eat down here..."

Gar had the gall to laugh.

"Dude, not funny."

"It kinda is."

The changeling visibly shook himself before looking at Cyborg again. "Thanks, Cy that's what I needed to know."

"Wanna tell me why?"

"Not...really..."

Cyborg took pity on him, and decided to let it go, after seeing his torn expression.

"Get out of my room grass stain. I don't like that bird turd you eat, and the smell seems to follow you around."

The grass stain in question didn't even deem that with a response. What he did do was morph into a cat, and disappear into the ventilation system. That's not what was bad though, what was bad was when a a green gas filtered through the cracks, and Cyborg lost the ability to breathe.

"YOU NASTY TURD! YOU TURNED INTO A SKUNK IN THE VENTS!GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE AND GET RID OF THIS TOXIC SMELL. I'M GONNA KILL YOU GAR!"

After Gar killed Cyborg's ability to process odor, he drifted down the hall,and who would run into him but the undisputed king of jack asses himself.

"Hello Dickwad."

"Show some respect for your superiors Beast boy, and be grateful your even_allowed_back in the tower."

Gar sent him a look riddled with contempt.

"And who would make me leave... you? Are you gonna kick my nieces out as well. Send us away to wherever your common sense walked off and died, cause apparently it was suffering from frequent neglect..."

Nightwing's expression darkened. "No, your nieces are tolerable, if not simple enough to confine and forget about. You on the other hand should take your ass down to a motel, and preferably don't come back."

"If I did that who would save Daja, and keep you from further fucking up the team? From what I can see since I've been gone all you've done is completely ruin team relations, break Starfire's ability to be independent, not to mention giving Raven and Cyborg a reason to want to completely sedate you till the day they can look down and say _let go, let his minions take you away. Walk into the fire._"

Nighwing's mouth was set in a thin line, and his hands periodically clenched, and unwound. Somehow Gar doubted he was thinking anything remotely nice. At last he looked at the changeling with brief distaste before continuing in monotone.

"Say what you want, but I brought the team together. It was my work, blood, and sweat that started the Titans. So now at this point in life. Act your freakin age and don't patronize me for your screw up. Your friend's gone because of you. Don't delude yourself into thinking otherwise."

With that Nightwing shoved past him, and disappeared down the hall.

* * *

Aerin sat up against a wall bleeding puddles of blood into the floor. She gave a feral snarl as her mothers calloused fingers caressed her hair, then briefly touched her forehead before disappearing from biting range.

"Well little one...this game has finally come to an end. You put all your tricks out, you fought, you mingled, you gave all your friends false hope and encouragement, and you also managed to get them all killed. It must feel pretty damn bad to have kick ass DNA, support, and determination only to lose everything in the end."

She chuckled, and further demeaned her daughter by patting her on the shoulder like they've been pals for years, completely ignoring the fact that she killed her comrades, and made her watch while she broke the one person that had always been there for her.

Aerin seethed while mentally assessing her chances of murdering her mother without the use of her hands. "That's all this is-" She gave a bitter laugh. "That's all it's ever been... a fucking game to you. You killed your brother. You killed the Titans. You tortured my friend while making me watch, then you killed her too. Now I'm left. I'm all that's left. What do you plan to do to me that you haven't already done to them?"

The damn devil herself, gave a slow sadistic smile that implied that statement was going to bite her in the ass. " Oh Aerin, I haven't even begun to play with you yet..."

Aerin gave a fierce snarl as a reached out to touch her again.

-_Dream Over_- (You guys thought it was real huh?)

The young changeling woke up drenched in sweat. Aerin ran a hand through her damp hair, and slowly eased out of bed, thoroughly hating sleep, and anything that led to being unconscious. She straightened out her wrinkled clothes, and grumbled animatedly about stupid dreams that effectively gave gray hairs and ulcers, and stupid people that corrupted her subconscious and forced to have stupid dreams.

Aerin sighed as she heard someone pounding at the door.

"What?"

"Open the door."

Aerin twitched, and trudged over to the door, pausing just as she arrived in front of it.

"Stop wishing I would go away and open the freakin door." Rayne was not in a good mood apparently.

The door swished open and the irritated changeling was glaring at her accusingly.

"What?"

The smaller female snarled at her, in a disturbingly feral manner. "Its 4 a.m. and the scent of your fear is irritating my nose."

Aerin blinked uncomprehendingly for all of ten seconds. "Four a.m.?"

"Uh yeah whatever the hell your doing that's terrifying enough to pollute the air. I'd appreciate you more if you stopped."

To her horror Aerin did something she never thought she'd do. "It's not exactly something I can control."

Rayne was closer to being shocked than to being horrified.. "Did you just whine?"

"No."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

Rayne's smile started looking incredibly demonic. "Yeah you did."

"Prove it."

The younger changeling held up her hands complacently, while giving her friend an evil smile.

"That's what I thought."

Rayne rolled her eyes at the smug tone Aerin used, before giving her a contemplative look.

"Now what?"

"That sounded suspiciously like another whine."

"Shut up brat." Aerin folded her arms, and looked away clearly not enjoying the annoyance that was Rayne. She was slightly surprised when the silence became prolonged. The little monster was actually not talking. It was kinda scary.

"So...Any other reason for showing up randomly, besides telling me I'm stinking up your air?"

Rayne gave her another assessing look, before lithely climbing to her feet and heading for the door. When she noticed that Aerin wasn't following she stopped, and curled her hand, motioning her forward.

Aerin reluctantly complied taking a few cautious steps forward, only to jump back as Rayne took off down the hall. The older teen winced in pain, as Rayne rounded the corner. The hyper brat had kicked her in the rush to get out of the room.

Aerin took a deep breathe, decided to count to ten before going after the kid.

One dead brat.

Two dead brats.

Five dead brats.

Ten. Rayne is gonna die.

Aerin snarled and took off down the hall in pursuit of her next homicide victim.

* * *

Aerin stared incredulously at the closed door.

Without putting to much thought into it she trailed a hand through her hair, and produced a thin wire. She twisted the end and then proceeded to pick the lock. She inserted the curved end, and methodically turned the wire several times till she heard a soft and yet oh so satisfying _click_.

One last puny thing. She pushed the button next to the door, and was thrown roughly into the wall as giant mass of brown fluff landed on her.

"Get off you fat furball."

Rayne's muzzle made itself comfortable in the crook neck, and she stubbornly refused to move.

"Rayne get off your really freakin heavy."

The canine gave a plaintive whine, but did as she asked.

"What the hell was tha-" Aerin paused mid-sentence when Rayne brushed past her through the open door.

"Again. What the hell?" Why was she so clueless so today? Aerin was having a a crap day, full of complete and utter crap-ness.

She turned around back in the direction of her room, only to stop again, as Rayne's mental link brushed over her mind.

**"Get in here you moron."**

Aerin was caught between one of two options; going back and beating Rayne unconscious for calling her a moron, or being the bigger person, ignoring the jab at her intelligence, and walking away...

She turned around and walked into the room.

Aerin had decided that Rayne was immature almost immediately after they met. So upon entering any immature person's room she naturally was expecting to enter a red zone, while bracing herself against a possible attack from some kind of dangerous, exotic mold.

What she didn't expect was for the room to be incredibly clean. There were some clothes lying around, patches of fur in some places, but it was in better shape then most teenagers room's in America. She scanned the walls with which were littered with pictures of the Titans, and of Gar with some people wearing lots of purple...spandex...and purple...

She blinked, slightly disturbed...

Aerin then turned to look at the occupants that had skipped her notice. There lying in the corner with her tail wrapped tightly around her was the brown wolf that led her to this room, and next to her was a big green wolf, her uncle...no, **their** uncle, hers and Rayne's...He had sleek green fur, and wiry muscles that rippled under his fur as he breathed, not to mention even though his mouth was closed he had that one fang that poked out. He looked almost identical to his mother in her wolf form and that freaked her out.

**"Stop gawking, and change so I can go to sleep."**

Aerin stopped trying to process things and looked at Rayne who was glaring at her.

_"Excuse me?"_

**"Did I stutter? No I don't think I did, but obviously you're not understanding, so let me make it clear. CHANGE. INTO. YOUR. FUCKIN. WOLF FORM.**_NOW._**"**

The older changeling winced. Rayne's order left her mind ringing with the absolute pain from how absurdly loud she had decided to yell.

She rubbed the soreness out of her forehead with out much hope of stopping the oncoming migraine. Aerin decided that ignoring Rayne and walking all the way back to her room wouldn't be worth the effort, and with a resigned sigh started to change.

Her teeth lengthened to their true size becoming larger and more lethal than any normal wolves. Her limbs fluctuated and turned hairy. Her hands became slender paws, and her senses tingled becoming more adept as she changed. When it was over she gave her fur a shake, relishing the lack of highly uncomfortable clothes.

She stopped after a couple seconds to find Rayne half a sleep with one eye still glaring at her while the other refused to open.

Aerin padded over to the resting wolves, and gingerly stepped over Gar's sleeping form to where her brown friend was curled. The younger changeling gave her a speculative glance, and her tail brushed over her shoulder, before she laid down on her paws and seemingly passed out.

Aerin carefully lowered herself to the floor next to Rayne, and closed her eyes. She had no other nightmares that night.

* * *

Alanna slashed brutally into her opponents chests, her claws ripping skin as she completed her spin. She stopped as her opponent was thrown back, and let her balance rest on her front foot. She didn't wait for him to recover, she lunged again, and this time waited for him to swing at her before grabbing the arm he was attempting to brain her with, using his face as a foothold and flipping high into the air. As she came down she landed on the wounded part of his chest, causing him to collapse into the ground. She stomped on his neck with her booted foot.

"Do you yield?"

The man, Corva, or some other equally embarrassing, and altogether retarded name- shook his head fervently signaling he really really didn't want to fight her again.

Alanna grunted in annoyance, and with practice ease hauled him to his feet, and walked stiffly away while her medics handled him and his incessant whining. She had tried to replicate what the rogues did to her soldier. So far she came up with how they caused the wound, but the remaining issues were how were they not leaving a scent behind, and why they couldn't be tracked, which totally sucked because within the last week ten more had been found dead.

It had her floored that the only hint she had these rogues even existed was that her men were dead, and the fact that her tracker is especially good at scenting emotions, and at the place the commander was killed, he said it smelled like unbridled glee.

Which officially pissed her off. Someone out there was getting to damn happy about cutting up her warriors.

The sound of running footsteps caused her to pause, as a courier skidded to a stop in front of her.

"Lady Alanna, Severin has just come back with Daja. They just landed in the court yard with whats left of the army."

Now that _was_ a happy thought. Alanna could now make someone else incredibly miserable.

The alpha wiped the sweat off her brow, and waved the messenger away. If nothing else she could salvage this week by starting her plans for Aerin, and for her brother. The rogues weren't the only ones who needed punishment, and he would get his.

She'd personally make sure of that.

* * *

end of chapter...hope you guys liked R and R, for questions and comments...I'll try and update soonish no promises though...


	11. Not a chap

This is not a chapter.

* * *

Okay Reaper()

Oh where to begin. Lets start with serendipitous shall we? How the hell am I fortunate that you read my story. You're an idiot that finds amusement in using the dictionary and looking up ridiculously large adjectives to flame people with. The only reason you're even flaming my story is because I didn't put Beastboy with Terra, not because I had lots of grammatical mistakes, or spelling errors....I'd also like to point out that you don't have an account...you don't write on FF.......all you do is give a people a reason to want shoot your ass, and if you don't like my pairing then take it up with the people who made the Teen Titans, because the Raven-Beastboy couple happened in the original comic book.......Next you mentioned you were giving me honest feedback....and yet you pulled out all that bull shit about me being drunk and writing this story, or how about monkey's on crack jacking my computer....you must be a prick. There's no other explanation I can think of for you writing a paragraph worth of insults for not putting Beastboy with Terra.

And to be clear I'm not changing shit in this story just because you're an arrogant dick.


	12. Dominance Games

Holy crap...It's been a long time...A very long time. That's my bad- i had i giant fucking crack covering half my laptop screen preventing me from 's fixed now though obviously. I decided im gonna try update this story monthly and start makin the chapters longer..uhh-

The dude or chick that wanted to copy the concept of this story- go for it

Oh yeah and about the flamer...

Well needless to say I was kinda pissed at the dude, but after awhile it was not that big of a deal...It just irritated me that he was talking shit just to talk shit, and that he used a fuckin dictionary for his insults...I dunno I just hate stupid smart people I guess.

So yeah here's the chap.

**HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT GUYS... SORRY NO NEW CHAPTER (IM WORKING ON IT) BUT I UPLOADED A PIC OF ALANNA ON DEVIANTART...CHECK OUT MY GALLERY AND SEE HER MY PROFILE NAME IS WHITEFANG901**

* * *

Daja blinked as Alanna gave her a look of pure amusement that would have caused a lesser wolf to lose what little pride they had and run for the closest fuckin cliff to jump off of; her Alpha had the smuggest, shit-eating grin, and frankly it terrified her. The Silver she wolf should be frothing at the mouth pissed, not smiling. Daja, fighting down a torrent of panic, forced herself to meet the leader's gaze despite the imminent threat to her life. The golden eyes that stared back narrowed, and in the time it took to blink, Alanna in all her feral, mentally deranged glory was close enough to touch. Fuckin fantastic.

"So my favorite guard has come back, as did one of my most loyal subjects….How was the ride back with our captive?" The Alpha turned to face the advisor _without _moving from Daja's personal space. Invasive bitch.

"You're majesty this violent whore maimed several guards, and permanently crippled many others. She damaged my ceremonial robe beyond repair." Daja couldn't stop the amused snort that came out, and blinked innocently when Severin sent her a glare filled with cold rage, before continuing, "And frankly she has been nothing but an irritating nuisance since we forced her onto the ship. I strongly suggest we dispose of her…..painfully….."

A small frown appeared on Alanna's face. "She is rather annoying, and that's…unfortunate ... Sadly we can't get rid of her yet. She has other uses. Important uses."

"Such as?"

"To begin with-"

Daja couldn't take the close proximity with her royal highness for much longer; the only smell in the world that would completely screw with her head had been teasing her nose for what felt like hours now, even though it had probably been only a couple of minutes, and Severin snitching on her like a brat from hell wasn't helping her any. She snarled internally, before yelling,

"_**For the love of god, would it kill you to brush your damn teeth, and get rid of that nasty fish smell? Take some freakin mints with your food, or drink a couple bottles of wine. Do SOMETHING productive so your breath doesn't smell like a goddamn tank of dead, rotting, parasite infected bottom feeders that eat nothing but ocean crap!**_

Daja's eyes were dilated, and her nostrils flared as she started to breathe slowly with immense effort as it dawned on her what she just did.

She had just told her leader to go brush her nasty teeth because she couldn't stand the smell of fish. Well…..shit.

The leader in question twitched, giving her an incredulous look with piercing amber eyes.

"You're by far the bravest beta that I've had the displeasure of associating with; either that or you're simply the stupidest fuckin person I've ever met."

Daja forced herself not to roll her eyes; instead she met the Alpha's stare, welcoming the challenge, and slowly falling into the dominance game that all wolves play.

"Are you saying that you would be any different in my position, _Alanna?_" The young beta's eyes darkened and a dangerous smirk accompanied the look. "Or are you complaining because I'm smart enough not to submit to a dumb ass alpha with nothing that even appears to be common sense, or compassion, responsibility, or you know the little things that actually qualify you to be a competent leader. Does my lack of terror piss you off?"

Alanna flipped her brown locks nonchalantly over her shoulder, and gave the former bodyguard an unpleasant smile, while speaking to the only guards present in at tone that caused a couple of them to whimper…pathetically.

"I want her broken and suffering. Do not feed her. Do not talk to her, or give her anything. As of now her rank means nothing. If I find anyone helping her they will die a very violent death. She's **mine** to do with as I please." Alanna turned with a dark scowl to glance at Daja. "Any smart ass comments before you're sent to bleed and rot in a cell for the next six months assuming of course you don't die from being interrogated in the next few weeks?."

Her answer came out in soft a snarl."Yeah, just one… I always pay my debts, and I owe you. I intend on paying that. in. fuckin. full. So let me warn you now; when I get out I'm gonna kill you, rip your intestines out and give them to Zane on a goddamn platter."

The room became eerily silent. Everyone stopped moving to stare or gape at her. In one sentence she had said a name that sub frequently sent their lovely alpha into a homicidal rage. On top of that she had the balls to threaten the said Alpha in that exact same sentence like she wouldn't get punished in an excruciatingly painful way; as in breaking bones, tearing tendons, and ripping skin- painful.

Alanna had never left Daja's personal bubble, and apparently the olive skinned prisoner forgot she was well within striking distance. So when a wild hit smashed against her unguarded face, an unprepared Daja reeled back in surprise at the sudden pain.

Alanna, Silver Wolf, and the sole owner of the title; Queen of demented Bitches further surprised her when she continued to assault her. She smashed her fist repeatedly into Daja's now swelling face while the former guard stood there and took the abuse without giving her highness the satisfaction of crying out, or submitting.

Everyone stared shocked as their Alpha all but lost her damn mind. Punch after punch indented itself in the unprotected Beta's face, and still Alanna continued with the same ruthless look imprinted on her face. There was a pause in the barrage of hits and Daja tensed as instead of the sucker punch she was expecting, a hard kick to the ribs sent her sprawling across the tiled floor. Everyone heard the resounding crack as said ribs were shattered by the force of the blow.

Daja rolled to an ungraceful stop feeling every inch of her body screaming at her for allowing all this unnecessary pain. The ex bodyguard tried to focus her good eye through the veil of blood trickling down her face, while also struggling to attempt a sitting position- totaled ribs and all.

Queen Bitch herself meandered over to Daja, taking slow graceful steps as always. Daja snarled and with pain induced clumsiness ended up in an awkward sitting position. She faced Alanna with a bearing of teeth meaning the obvious wolf translation; back the fuck up before you smacked the fuck up.

Daja watched irritated, as Alanna ignored the blatant threat to her person and with practiced ease slid to one knee so she was eye level with the wounded Beta, and breathed into her ear a phrase that would haunt Daja's nightmares for the next six months.

"Breaking you will be the _most_ enjoyable thing I've done in a long time."

Holy hell.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_"**You've got to be the stupidest male specimen in the universe."**_

Gar blew air out of clenched teeth as his other side jumped on the lovely chance to harass him. It was bad enough that he had to watch that dumb ass advisor drag Daja back to that hellhole he _used _to call home; but to be constantly reminded of his incompetence while it was happening by an irritating voice in the back of his head was enough to completely fuck up what was left of his composure.

"_Really?" _The voice was obviously ignoring Gar's blatant sarcasm altogether, because it simply continued talking over him.

_"**Yes, and do you know why you are without a doubt the stupidest male in existence?" **_

_"No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me."_

The green changeling gave a soft sigh and leaned heavily on the ship he had been standing next to. Aerin, his blood niece, god that was sick; what kind of pathetic dusche bag was so freakin desperate they found his deranged, chemically unbalanced sister a good mating choice**.** On top of that what sort of loser would actually _want_ to reproduce with her?It had to be someone who lacked taste, and had no prospects for their future, because no healthy, non-suicidal person would subject themselves to that kind of hell. Just….ew…..anyways Aerin had showed them the ship her and Daja had flown in….the same ship he was currently leaning against….

Gar tried not to spasm as a sharp pain exploded in his head, effectively disrupting his thoughts.

_"**Pay attention when I'm talking goddamnit."**_

"_I would but the floor is more interesting then listening to you bitch about things I couldn't and can't control."_

_"**Wow you said that like you actually believed it…How the hell couldn't you control the situation? You could have ripped that spineless brat's face off and Daja would be here, but no you continue to play the part of a weak human. I can't wait for you to start acting like the Alpha you once were."**_

Gar growled deep and low. _"That won't happen; I'm refuse to be that way again"_

_"**Then Daja is already dead. Don't even bother with a rescue attempt. You'll only fuck up someone else's life…Weakling"**_

On that contemptuous note the voice melted away…

Gar sighed feeling more than a little depressed and turned to face the ship he was leaning on. He had learned Daja built it with her own hands; putting her blood, sweat, and other's peoples tears into it. The ship itself wasn't anything special to look at, in fact it looked like a mechanics worst nightmare come back to scare the shit out of anyone stupid enough to ride in the flying piece of junk, but the green changeling would bet that the ship's interior was something else entirely.

The Daja he knew always equipped herself in the best, so if her ship was tricked out with explosives and enough other equally destructive toys that had the power to level a small continent he wouldn't be surprised.

Gar was broken out of his musings when a strangled howl reached his sensitive hearing and his favorite nieces crashed into the clearing. He had a second to duck in the dirt before their play fighting sent them rolling into the air through the area where his head had been previously.

Gar dusted himself off, and watched in feigned disinterest as Aerin put Rayne in a head lock.

Rayne in turn melted into her wolf form and with a flourish of fangs gave Aerin a nip in the side making the older changeling dump her unceremoniously onto the hard, dry ground.

"_Uncle Gar I'm getting abused over here."_

Gar watched unsympathetically, valiantly trying to be unamused and epically failing- as Aerin cornered the youngest of his pack_. Pack_. Now that was a word he hadn't used in a long time probably due to how ridiculously small his pack was. There were what three people in it? Rayne, Daja , and now Aerin…Speaking of which…

"Aerin."

The young changeling froze at her name-glanced at him then back down at Rayne who she had captive at the scruff of her shaggy neck with her foot firmly planted on said wolf's fluffed out tail; then Aerin turned back to look Gar again.

"Can I help you?"

"Aerin…about your mother-"

In the instant it took to blink she had released Rayne, and stormed across the clearing with a fierce snarl, standing less than a foot away from him.

"She is **not** my mother…She's **nothing **but the monster that haunts my nightmares….."

_Aly what the hell did you do to this kid? _Gar blinked as his newfound relative growled-making a deep feral sound that only was possible when one is extremely pissed off. He warily took in her stance, and she was poised to lunge at him and from the looks of it do permanent damage while she was at it. She was literally trembling with rage; Gar not feeling overly threatened marked with mild approval that although her eyes had narrowed to angry slits she was refusing to lose control of her other side and outright attack him.

Gar refused to move matching her glare with his own piercing gaze. They stood like that for a long time, ignoring Rayne's futile attempts to speak internally with them, and any other distractions. Finally Rayne- irritated stepped in between them and Aerin's rage was temporarily directed at her. Gar watched with interest as Rayne probably said something telepathically and Aerin in turn made a crude gesture towards him…The conversation between two of the most hair tearing, chaos inducing, problem causing deviants currently in his life continued for awhile.

After a period of time though Aerin started to relax, tension simply dissipated from her and she cocked her head to the side looking questioningly at Rayne who had a disturbingly evil look on her face than back at him

"Really? Now that's interesting."

Gar raised one eyebrow. "What's interesting?"

Aerin's smile had the same sadistic tint to it that Rayne's did. "Rayne here was informing of your multiple personality disorder…and how since apparently you lack people skills…you decide to be someone else that everyone loves to hate and wants to well…. beat the living shit out of."

Gar was slightly offended. "I do not have a multiple personality disorder, maybe A.D.D…" Then Gar pointed at his head, "but I'm definitely the only one up here."

The changelings all had sensitive hearing and were aware of Raven the exact moment she showed up. So when a sarcastic voice joined the discussion nobody was surprised.

"Riiiiight, tell that lie again."

Gar gave a noncommittal grunt at what he felt was unnecessary sarcasm directed solely in his direction.

"That's not nice Rae."

Raven's eye twitched in irritation at his childish reply and unlike her ex-teammate did the absolute "mature" thing- she lifted one hand glowing with black fluorescent light and threw him roughly into the ship's hard exterior.

"Neither was leaving for six years…_Garfield._"

Gar groaned as he slid down the ship's side, and ended up sprawled on his back. He had forgotten how temperamental his purpled haired team mate was on a regular basis. This incident was a lovely reminder of that. In fact something equally lovely and multicolored was growing on the spot where his head smacked against the ship's metal side.

Bruises were such wonderful things…

"Hey will you two stop flirting in front of the minors? It's making me nauseous. "

Gar blinked at Rayne's voice, and blinked a second time when he finally understood what she was saying.

.Wait. .What. The. Hell?

"Rayne, stop picking on the seniors it's rude…especially when they are too old to defend themselves…."

Gar was beginning to despise both of his nieces."You guys know we're standing right here, right?"

Aerin shot him an amused glance, brown eyes darkening with laughter. "Yeah…uh do you want us to say it louder this time; I hear old people typically lose their hearing right around your age."

"I'M ONLY TWENTY SIX YOU IRRITATING BRATS FROM HE-"

"As amusing as all this is…" Raven's soft voice sliced through Gar's tirade, causing the green changeling to lapse into silence, with an extremely visible tick mark above his eye. "Are you all packed? We _are_ leaving as soon as bird boy gets his damn perm, his bubble headed side kick finishes shopping, and Cyborg hauls his junk out here…"

Aerin snorted derisively. "I am. I didn't bring shit here except weapons and clothes, and one or two other important items."

Rayne nodded in agreement. "I was kidnapped. None of my crap is here."

Gar followed his nieces lead. "I don't have anything that I could bring there…I have an old friend that'll probably be able to help us get supplies when we arrive….if she's still alive anyways…She was an old, temperamental bat when I left…."

The green changeling ignored the strange looks he earned for his odd comments, and ran a hand through his hair in a gesture of impatience.

"What_ is_ taking them so long? We needed to leave….like yesterday. "

There was no response because everyone was thinking the same damn thing.

_Two hours later…_

Rayne awoke from her nap to the irritating smell of dollar store hair gel, and the musty stench of the living blue mold she'd seen in the Titan's refrigerator and those particular smells belonged to two distinct people….the same two people entering the clearing with a third person smelling faintly of oil and mechanics lagging not too far behind them.

Rayne ignored her tired limbs, and quickly rose to her feet in one fluid motion just as Nightwing slouched into the clearing with Starfire flying ever happily behind him with their bags…and Cyborg straggling in behind them, lugging a crate of unrecognizable, mechanical uh…junk….

Rayne heard her uncle issue an angry snarl obviously not happy with the amount of time that had been wasted.

"Now that everyone's here can we go?….Let's go…Now."

Nightwing opened his mouth but her uncle was more than done with sitting and being idle.

"**Now** Nightwing…not when you're done straightening your greasy hair, and not to wait for you to get off your ass and give an order…The longer we stay here the less likely we're gonna be in a position to save Daja when get there…So we're going now."

That would be the second time in two days she's seen her uncle this pissed. It was new because before all this crap..He never got angry. Ever. She was pretty sure he had never even been introduced to the phrase "pissed beyond all reason" but these last couple days proved he was more than acquainted with that phrase, in fact he was slowly giving it a new definition …which led Rayne to question exactly how dangerous was this man she considered her Uncle?

Rayne blinked as the green changeling gave Aerin a nod, and the younger shapeshifter responded in kind before stepping lightly up to the flying junk heap, and pressed an area on the side with palm of her hand. The square lit up at her touch, and a green grid zoomed out to scan her hand before disappearing entirely...The Titans along with the changelings watched in awe as Aerin jumped adeptly out of the way just as the ship gave a lurch, and with creak of obvious disdain a ramp slid to the ground with a shudder, leaving a walkway for the group to get into the ship.

Aerin without pause walked up the ramp and when no one followed her she threw a disdainful glance at the people on the ground.

"Hurry up…Your wasting time…and we don't have time to lose by the way for all you special people who don't understand how serious this is right now."

Rayne felt Gar shake his head ruefully behind her before he was the next up the ramp…She followed not to far behind him.

When she actually came to the inside of the ship she had to stop, because frankly what she was seeing surprised the hell out of her. The interior of the ship was ridiculous. The metal sheen gleamed from top to bottom. Buttons beeped, and screens projected symbols that made her head swim just looking at them.

At the center of the room there was a floating globe that was circumferenced by an outer ring, It had an eerie resemblance to the one of the Rings of Saturn, but it was solid, glowing blue not whatever color Saturn's rings are.

Aerin not the least bit impressed by all this walked up to the glowing globe and ran her hand over the projection, and smooth voice suddenly vibrated throughout the room causing everyone but Aerin and Gar to jump spastically.

**"Aerin, you are back…there was ninety two percent chance that would you would be either captured or dead by now… you seem to be fortunate to have landed in the eight percent chance you had to survive. "**

Aerin gave a tight smile that did not go unnoticed by Rayne. "Yeah well we're about to test that luck..a lot..look I need you to plot a course to Valer…."

The voice that sounded unusually feminine for an A.I. took awhile to respond,** "Valer …as in your home planet Valer that you were running from less than seventy-two hours ago?"**

"Yeah, that Valer…"

The bodiless voice spoke slowly, as if measuring her words… **"I would advise against that…yesterday my sensors picked up over twenty ships carrying a legion of soldiers , flying away with my pilot. I believe you are being baited and with so little resources you have everything to lose by returning home."**

"We have to go save Daja she's my best friend and your pilot…in order to do that we have to go.

The A.I.'s answer was somewhat less delayed this time, but even more reluctant it's answer **"Very well pup, I hope you understand what you are doing…..Plug in the necessary coordinates, and I'll start our course."**

What surprised Rayne even more than the ship's interior was when her favorite green relative, stopped Aerin from inserting the coordinates, and instead pushed her gently aside so he was at the helm in front of the glowing globe.

"What are you doing?"

Judging from Aerin's alarmed voice she was just as surprised as Rayne was.

Gar methodically started pressing some of the projected symbols as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and it might've been because his response was incredibly laid back.

"We can't just show up, storm in and break Daja out. That would be stupid, and we'd all die in some very twisted and unpleasant ways. We have to prepare, and I know someone who can help…possibly."

Nightwing sneered , his face glowing with pleasure at the chance to be condescending to someone ."Possibly….Who the hell could you know? You've been gone for twenty years…"

"That's why I said possibly…stupid fag."

Rayne rolled her eyes at the back and forth but completely lost her balance as the ship gave a lurch throwing her roughly back and signaling it's departure from the ground.

_This was going to be a looong frickin flight._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Several hours later…._

Aerin paced back and forth with the restless energy of a tiger…or a wolf. She felt Rayne staring at her with unconcealed anxiousness, but she simply didn't care right now. She was worried…really worried. She hadn't left home on good terms…she would be received on worse terms. Her mom was a psychotic bitch from hell, and Daja could very well be dead.

Technically, Daja was on trial and her sentence could be discussed over a six month period, and then she'd be punished. Un-technically her mom was Alpha and she could do whatever the hell she wanted, protocol or not- and no one could do anything about it.

Aerin gave a frustrated snarl, and aimed a wild punch against the wall…intent on causing something pain. She stared dully at the crack she had made before leaning against said wall, and sliding down to the floor.

This was all her fault.

"_How?"_

Get the hell out of my head Rayne.

"_Not until you tell me how this is your fault?"_

Aerin sighed angrily, and glared at the brunette changeling across from her who in turn was giving her a small complacent grin.

"I brought her here. If I hadn't-"

"_You would've been manipulated for the rest of your life, drugged up to your eyeballs and unwittingly caused the imprisonment and death of thousands of other shapeshifters… I guess I could see how that option could be more appealing than our current situation."_

Aerin growled, and responded slowly..clearly doubting herself. "I could've done something else."

"_What? Gone off on your own…be on the run for the rest of you're short, meaningless life. Who does that?"_

Aerin blinked at Rayne's smug look, and thought carefully about the whole conversation they just had, before coming to the obvious conclusion.

I guess you have point.

"_Duh."_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Gar was alone at the helm aimlessly watching the stars filter by the ship's compressed windows. Everybody else was in the back rooms, sleeping or in Cyborg's case recharging in a last ditch effort to get what energy they could.

The green changeling rubbed sleep from his eyes, and any other signs of weariness slowly disappeared as a familiar presence slipped into the room, materializing behind him in a cocoon of black magic.

"Hey Rae."

The violet haired empath acknowledged him with a glare, "Stop calling me that."

Gar gave himself a shake to further reach a comprehensive state of mind. "Nope."

"Will the threat of violence persuade you?"

Gar smiled, enjoying the banter after having a six year withdrawal from it; "Not likely I don't do pain…the masochistic thing went out of style a long time ago."

Raven threw him a frustrated glare. "Damnit Gar you're so…"

The green changeling raised one eyebrow, and attempted to finish her sentence."Awesome…endearing…..no no no…the most beautiful thing you've seen walk this earth."

Raven rubbed her forehead to stem the oncoming headache. "I was going to say fake…."

That caught Gar's attention. He knew that she was referring to his not so attractive idiot tendencies, but the way she said it almost hurt.

"Rae-"

"You lied. You lied about who and what you were and then you left, and you're still lying."

Gar was officially scared of the flat tone Raven was attacking him with. If she had been yelling, screaming, or doing anything remotely emotional or violent he would feel better, but this stoic attitude she was displaying now was entirely unpredictable and as his her friend it was terrifying him.

"Who are you really Gar?"

_"**I'm not sure why she's asking you, you don't know jack shit about yourself anymore."**_

And his other side was back…bloody frickin hell….

Raven fought down the torrent of anger she felt at the green changeling…Originally when he showed up after Daja's capture she had been happy to see him. She conveniently forgot she actually had no idea who he freaking was. Gar acted the like the same awkward, nonfunny teenager he was six years ago, but that's all it was; an act, and that pissed her off like nothing else.

At her question the aforementioned changeling had frozen, obviously at a loss as to how to answer her.

"Rae-"

"Just answer the question Gar."

Raven watched as her old friend glanced around the room…most likely looking for some distraction or correct answer in hopes of placating her and finding none.

"Raven I really don't kno-"

To Raven's extreme irritation an alarm went off in the ship cutting him off, and the A.I. voice filtered into the room.

**"We are close to Valer's atmosphere, and will be visible to just about everyone while we are being sucked in by the planet's gravitational force…I'm going to set up my cloaking program so we'll be invisible till we arrive at the given coordinates. Prepare for turbulence and a painful landing."**

Raven swore internally, and then vocally as the Titans plus two entered the room, apparently everyone heard the announcement because everyone looked worried…Aerin in particular but that could be because she was going back home so soon after leaving.

Gar's hands spread over the glowing sphere and he said the cliché that comes before every plane's crash…

"Buckle up…It's gonna be a rough landing….because we're crash landing!"

Raven repeated the same line she had used when they went to the burning building six years ago, and Beast boy didn't have a communicator.

"No freakin duh Sherlock."

And with that the ship cloaked itself, and started to shake violently as Valer's gravity did it's job, suckin in Daja's flying trash heap, and propelling it towards the planets interior. Gar pressed a myriad of buttons trying to turn on the ship's thrusters so it would crash near the area he needed it to.

Everyone watched in mounting horror as the ship descended at break neck speed toward the ground, and the green changeling fought with the controls. Within seconds the ship was almost to impact. At the second they all would have crashed, in a very violent, yet colorful explosion the ship leveled out flying through dense foliage, and breaking through a shitload of large, green trees.

Gar's teeth were gritted in concentration as the ship skidded through the trees… The many many trees…

Raven without putting too much thought into it created a large black sphere around the ship, reducing the damage it took, while at the same time helping to ruin every tree they went through.

The ship itself after what seemed like an eternity of sliding and bumping over the newly dead trees slowly came to a stop in a small clearing.

Gar gave a sigh of relief at the reprieve, and sank slowly into his seat. His nieces and the Titans shared curt smiles- very much enjoying the fact they were still alive…scared shitless but alive.

The A.I. who hadn't been afraid to get set on fire, crash, burn and die interrupted their joint moment of remission.

**"We are slightly off course, but your plotted course is less than a mile south from our current location."**

Raven watched everyone in the room look expectantly at Aerin than at Gar …Aerin not one to quake under pressure ignored the looks, and put a hand on her uncle's shoulder. The green changeling surprised by the contact looked questioningly at the young shapeshifter.

"We're home, and amazingly still in one piece now what?"


	13. Zane

Hey guys I'm back with a new chap that answers some questions but not others.

Rapture..I was kinda surprised about Raven...but everyone's gotta hate until he shows them how bad ass he is...

Tor your message was hilarious...why are you talking like that though?

Darkgreywolf-yep Im back and and plan to finish this story...eventually... and if it makes you feel better I kinda planned on making this into a trilogy...the next stories still focus a lot about Beast boy but go more in depth about his nieces...

girl with hair, ten wolves, and Twisted Roses Thanks and heres a new chap

* * *

"Are we there yet...or even moderately close to being relatively near wherever we're going?"

Aerin twitched and forcefully restrained herself from the sudden primal urge to strangle Rayn...restricting her airway and refusing her supposed cousin the rite to breathe should only sound good in theory...right? The changelings-with their unwanted Titan companions had trekked across the volatile country of Valer for an agonizing five minutes, and in that time Rayn was depleted of her limited patience and resolve...after five minutes of walking...so the young earthen shapeshifter was choosing to irritate everyone else to entertain herself...

Aerin's inner tirade was completely destroyed when an unexpected presence threw her off balance, forcefully introducing her face to the ground...Hello ground meet Aerin...Aerin stop eating dirt...The weight on her back shifted and Aerin scowled and half turned her head to meet the owner of a scent she had rapidly become familiar with over the past couple days.

"Rayn would you kindly get off my back?..." The weight didn't move, and Aerin's scowl darkened, "now rather than later..."

The brunette straddling her back smirked and shook her head, "Nope... slave, I need a piggy back ride or I'll pass out and you'll end up carrying me anyway...with lots more drool involved "

"Your guard friend must not be very important if you two have time to screw around like this. I believe the girl running away from her psychotic kingdom of monsters was stressing that time is of the essence."

Both shifters stiffened simultaneously at Bird fag's dark tone, and Aerin couldn't stop the soft snarl that escaped in response to his voice, but her quiet growl was overpowered by a deeper more menacing snarl . All heads turned to Gar who was baring his teeth in challenge at their favorite spandex wearing bird.

"Nightwing...now is NOT motherfuckin time."

Aerin- shocked to silence by Gar's attitude stumbled to her feet with Rayn still latched on to her back.

"_What's his defect that went up his ass and died?"_

Aerin had to siphon her thought so Rayn's empathic abilities would pick it up.

**" Ugh..Distrubin image**...**He's worried...about whoever we're meeting...and he feels guilty and scared..."**

"_Why the last two emotions?"_

"**I dunno..." **Rayn's face became uncharacteristically grim. **"My guess would be because he's planning to do something abnormally stupid."**

The older shifter sighed- officially hating life and all it's inherent meanings and wrapped her hands around her cousins thighs so Rayn wouldn't fall off as she gave her a piggy back ride.

* * *

Gar concentrated at the invisible trail in front of him, blatantly ignoring the swish of Raven's coat as she flew, and the heavy steps of Aerin as she was forced to carry Rayn-against her will, the metal crunch of Cyborgs feet, and the emo waves Nightwing was polluting the air with and solely focusing on the forest surrounding them...He could feel they were close...He inhaled slowly tasting the thickness in the air that permeated from the greenery itself-therefore proving that nature is more powerful alive than dead. Gar smiled as he found the scent he wanted, feminine and bad ass-belonging to his favorite old bat.

She was in the clearing directly to his right...her scent nearly over ridden by the smell of trees...

Gar rapidly changed direction, and felt the Titans plus two silently follow his lead..cowed by his performance with Nightwing earlier...Who can blame them...He was kick ass when he wanted to be...

When Gar and company emerged from the tree growth the sun blind sided the green changeling upon entering the clearing.

So he was completely unprepared when he was pile-driven into the tree behind him- held dangling in the air by his neck, and a force of nature he hadn't seen or heard from in twenty years graced him with her presence.

"I hope for your sake I'm hallucinating, otherwise you'll really be dead when I finish choking you..."

Gar was too busy dying from lack of oxygen to reply...

He was going to die young- his old mentor was gonna kill him...holy mother on crapsicles...

"Hey! Knock it off you stupid old bat!"

There was two blurs of motion and like that the pressure was gone and Gar ungracefully landed ass first on the ground...He looked up to see his nieces wrestling his favorite old lady to the ground...unfortunately they were no where near strong enough to keep her there for any period of time...aaaand Rayn just flew into a tree...aaaaand Aerin was in a crater in the ground...fuckin fantastic...

Gar blinked as the force of nature took a menacing step in his direction and was stopped in a vise of black magic...Raven was literally his favorite person right now...

"So I'm not hallucinating...you're here...alive...and asking for a beating the longer you stand there looking retarded what exactly do you want prince-y boy?"

Gar rubbed the sore area around his neck sheepishly before answering. " Um I need a favor."

The captured female blinked, her milky eyes disbelievingly- Wait what the fuck-milky eyes...She freakin was blind!What the flyin fuck?

" Wait! Ko..you're blind?"

Ko gave a bitter snort... "You're just noticing?"

He would have noticed earlier but he was too busy trying not to be killed by her!

"Koza...How?...Why the fuck are you blind?"

The violent female deemed Koza gave an irritated sigh..."You're mother was unhappy with the crappy job I did of watching you-after all I let you convene with a common street brat.. and allowed you unnecessary freedoms like having fun like a normal fuckin kid so as punishment she stole my sight with her claws... and said that I now have an excuse to be a poor watcher... a poor alacran..."

Gar was in front of her in flash of green, kneeling down to be level with her position on the ground. "I am so sorry."

There was another bitter snort. "I don't give a crap. She's dead it's in the past. What I really want to know is why you lot are here? It can't be good it's never good when you're involved."

**"She's right you know...you do have a tendency to ruin everyone else's life..in fact you ruined you're whole country's life in less than an hour... how so very impressive..."**

Gar snarled internally at the beastly part of him..._I am NOT in the mood..._

"Ko." Gar dropped to the ground out if his crouch and sat down cross legged in front of her, carefully shedding his black vest and dropping it to the ground... his white muscle shirt soon followed.

"I'm way too old for you...and I can't actually see you do a strip show." the bound female complained.

Gar blinked as the black magic visibly tightened around his mentor who in turn shifted to look in the general area where his purple haired teammate was standing with a pained look on her face...

"I was joking...I can do so much better than the brat in front of me...Did you miss the part where I said I was too old for him?"

**"Aw she's possessive of you how cute.."**

_Shut up_

Gar rolled his eyes and began silently unwrapping the bandages that crossed around his torso and reached all the way to his wrists..roll after roll of wrap pooled to the ground till he was sitting bare chested on the ground.

The green changeling assumed a meditative position and reached for a wrap of power inside of him-relishing in the feeling that had ruled his existence for the first six years of his life...He wrapped the power around his body feeling it dance lightly over the expanse of his skin, before melting into the surface...His whole body hummed and a series of intricate tattoos appeared covering every visible inch of his torso but stopping at his neck...

He opened one green eye, than both eyes and gazed imploringly at the restricted alacran.

"I need you to help me make these go away."

"And?" She drawled. "What are these? If you haven't noticed I'm vision impaired."

_"Akti Khan..."_

"A large overly complicated seal huh? And how long have you had your other side on lock down?"

"Twenty years..."

Koza openly gaped at him, before her face morphed into a mask of undisguised fury...

"You fucktard. Don't ask me to help."

"You're the only one that can...Please Ko..."

"NO!...Don't ask me to do that. Don't ask me to help you into the slow descent into madness! Don't ask me to help you go insane."

Gar rose into a crouch. "Rae let her go."

The empath in question raised in eyebrow. "Are you sure? She's spazzing and looks very close to strangling you again..."

Gar nodded slowly and the black magic dissipated leaving nothing between him and his overly destructive mentor.

"I need your help Ko...I can do this...out of all the wolves you've seen I've always had the best control. My best friend is in trouble. I can't save her without getting stronger."

Koza gave a sharp bark of laughter...obviously not finding anything funny about the situation.

" True. You have always have had...unparalleled control compared to the other wolves...but frankly this is beyond you. Wolves go crazy...become feral after restraining their other side for weeks...the talented ones for months. You have sealed yours away for _years_...The rage- that wild untamed feeling being locked away for that long will consume you...and you are asking me to help it. I **won't**."

"Ko I can do it..."

Gar saw the fist coming but made no move to block it...The punch sent him sprawling to the ground.

Koza was standing over him breathing hard.

"Shut up. You don't know anything. You're just as reckless as you were twenty years ago, and twice as frickin stupid."

The green changeling got to his knees, and with one hand grabbed his mentor's wrist. He bared his neck to her and gently put her hand around the pulse point...giving the universal sign of submission and trust that any real wolf is familiar with...

"Please Ko."

The blind wolf's grip tightened dangerously around his neck before relaxing and letting go completely.

" Damn it"

* * *

Rayn was stuck...A giant tree was crushing her from where that hell bitch threw her...The trees here were all large and broad and ungodly heavy unlike the trees on earth and the branches alone were enough to break and crush limbs...and the tree itself fell on her...If the blind bat had thrown Nightwing he would be dead...what a pretty thought...

Rayn blinked as she heard snickering above her and looked up to see Aerin laughing at her while sitting in one of the branches...

That brat.

"Hey she threw you into a giant Aerin sized crater so shut up."

"Do you see me stuck?"

"No but you're gonna see my foot up your-"

"Hey. I can leave you there.

Rayn full out pouted. .

"Get me outta here Ari."

The older changeling snorted at the nick name, but climbed down from her branch nonetheless. Rayn watched as Aerin looked critically at the tree than at the branches covering her and whistled.

"Well I've come to the conclusion that you're stuck..."

"Smart ass"

Aerin gave a wolfish grin before morphing into a dark furred wolf. Her hands shifted into paws, and her face stretched out growing long elongated fangs filled with poison to the very tip...and her body becoming more slender and flexible than any normal wolfs.

The dark wolf padded over to Rayn and casually leapt over the trapped brunette...Rayn waited and suddenly felt a tug as the tree started to move first slowly than rolled entirely off of her. Rayn groaned and carefully worked out the kinks in her abused body and turned to the midnight colored wolf sitting on her haunches looking entirely too satisfied with herself...

"Oh shut up and lets go back and see what our stupid uncle did."

Aerin gave another wolfish grin before shifting back to her human form and following her back to the clearing. They arrived to see the oddest site. Gar was barechested on his knees covered in tattoos before the crazy bitch that kicked their ass all over the clearing

...While the Titans sat and did nothing.

"Doesn't it taking more then twenty minutes to get a full body tattoo?"

"That's not a tattoo...That's a seal...made to hold back our beast."

Aerin started forward Rayn following close behind. They stopped when they were close enough to touch Gar, and Rayn voiced what they were both thinking.

"What's the hell is going on?"

Emerald eyes met turned to look at them before the green changeling slowly got to his feet.

"There's on more thing I need to ask you to do."

Gar wasn't looking at his nieces he was looking at Koza.

"What else could you possibly want? You're not getting my booze...I'm an alcoholic as of five minutes ago with needs, Damn it!"

"While I'm unlocking my beast I need you to train them..." Gar gestured at the Titans plus two.

"Hold up? Training...B she's blind...and do we even need training?"

Koza snorted "I'm inclined to agree with your tin man.I am a warrior...not a miracle worker."

"They won't last for five minutes at the palace and that is where we will eventually be heading...Koza c'mon...They're already halfway trained, but they need to know our customs and at least be able to fight you to a stand still...Ko I can make this right but I need your help..."

"Argh...whatever! Let's just go to my house before you talk me into something else I have no desire to do just by saying please and sounding pathetic."

* * *

Daja sighed in complete and utter exhaustion. She had never felt this kind of mind numbing fatigue. Alanna who had the day before pummeled her face in and broke three of her ribs had also decided to leave her in her cell unmedicated without food or water just like she had threatened. The cuffs had chafed her feet and wrists cutting them until they bled rivers.

The stone wall bruised her back and left her sore and uncomfortable and the cell itself was constantly leaking with the continual promise of pneumonia in her near future..

All in all her life royally sucked.

"Daaaaja. Why are you on queenies shit list?"

Did she mention her cell had thin-ish walls on one side and whoever was in the cell next to her was irritatin the crap out of her...

Daja choosing not to reply, sighed instead and decided to try and sleep despite her broken body and blatant discomfort...

"Hey commander Daja did you hear about the rogues killing wolf elites throughout the kingdom."

That caught her attention.

"What are you talking about creeper?"

"That's not nice." the odd feminine voice sounded like it was pouting.

Daja rolled her eyes and waited patiently for the voice to continue, which after a minute it did.

"There's a rumor that these killers are only murdering elite wolves and them being elites is the only similarities the victims have with each other. With every corpse the way they died is the different but the end result is the same all victims have slashes that kill through the heart or the lungs or somewhere equally fatal...and there's always a hole somewhere on the body where organs are taken out of...and never found..."

Daja blinked as the information settled in her mind.

Rogues...So that's why her majesty hasn't interrogated her yet

Lovely

* * *

Raven stared as Koza painted symbols over Gar's bare chest covering his tattoos...which had just magically appeared out of thin air earlier...She was realizing that chances of understanding the green man of her were starting to dwindle.

She was also realizing that the paint went from his toned abs to his muscled arms...

Raven averted her gaze...the last thing she needed was to be thinking unnecessary things about her problematic teammate...

The purple haired empath focused on the task in front of her. She was suppose to encase Gar in shield for however long he's in his mystic trance that's gonna be induced by the paint...According to Koza the paint activates the power of the sealing tattoos and sends him to his mind he can lock or unlock the beast...

"Alright good luck boy...you will need that...and skill which you lack...so it's mostly gonna be luck."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Ko...it's much appreciated..."

"hey I'm here to help you out."

"Uncle Gar hurry up and leave so you can come back...I want to see you in all you're bad assery."

"I concur Uncle G."

"Or he can just not come back at all..."

"SHUT UP BIRDFAG!" everyone snapped in perfect unison.

"Rae..."

The purple haired empath snapped her attention to her green teammate.

"Yeah?"

"I'll tell you who I am when I come back. I'll have an answer by then. So...no more lies. Alright?"

Raven checked to make sure he was serious before giving a hesitant smile... "Right...no lies, and I'll try not to throw you into a tree...or a building...or the ship's exterior..."

The green changeling chuckled. "Awesome!"

So easily amused by the simplest things...

Raven watched Gar lower himself to the ground and assume the cross legged/meditative pose he was in earlier. The Titans plus three backed out of the way as Raven summoned a large wave of power and molded it into a giant fortified barrier to keep Gar relatively from causing or being on the receiving end of trouble...

* * *

"Alright kitties Gar left me in charge, so that means I'm the parole officer to your prison sentence. I'm going to condition you to outfight and outthink the fastest and most intelligent wolves...You will also learn our etiquette, history, and language...Any questions...?"

Everyone looked at Koza.

No one said anything

Rayn raised her hand...

Koza hearing the sound turned in Rayn's direction...

"Yes...puppy?"

"Are you insane?"

"A little..any more questions...none...good...Welcome to hell kitties..."

* * *

Gar blinked as saw the inside of his mind...

It was a barren desert.

How depressing.

It's hard to defend his intelligence when he's actually in his mind and he sees almost nothing there.

Gar started walking straight...There were trees to his left...and desert every frickin where else.

A deep rumbling caught his attention and the ground shifted,sending vibrations throughout his body.

Metal gleamed in the distance Gar started sprinting to see the mineral more clearly. As he got nearer to his destination the shaking grew more chaotic, and he could clearly see a metal structure. When he arrived he saw that the structure was a cage and inside the cage was a wolf as dark as midnight...

A deep growl shook the ground beneath him and he saw the black wolf staring at him with slitted eyes as green as his own.

"**Hello coward...nice of you to finally arrive..."**

Gar snarled at seeing the owner of the voice he's been hearing so much lately.

"**What no snappy comeback how utterly disappointing...**

"_I didn't come here for that. I came-"_

"**I know why you're here. We share the same consciousness ****Garfield Mark Logan or did you forget? Well regardless the fact of the matter is I don't believe you're worthy enough anymore for the power that comes with rebonding with me."**

"_What? Daja is in danger and-"_

"**I'm aware and I care as much as you do however this bond won't work...with you Garfield. I need the man you once were."**

"_What are you talking about?"_

"**I'm talking about the little boy that stoically won the heart of his nation...who lived through six years of complete hell at home because that's all he knew. I'm talking about the little boy that won over the hard hearted Koza as his alacran...The small child that killed many many people, and was dying inside because of it...and the same little child that caused the ultimate act of betrayal to protect his only friend. I will not bond with you till you become him again."**

Gar stared at the ground-completely conflicted. _"I never wanna be like that again. When I was kid...living hurt...I was in constant pain everyday...I can't do it again..."_

"**You will."** The black wolf raised it's majestic head from it's paws and glared at it's green other half. **"You became stronger...You **_**are **_**stronger..It's time to show that strength boy... Open the cage..."**

"_What?"_

Gar looked up to the black wolf standing...looking at him expectantly.

"**Open the cage. It's necessary to reaching your potential."**

Gar hesitated before slowly walking up to the cage. He put his hand in the scanner and the cage shimmered before bolt after bolt from the lock fell onto the ground. The cage fell apart and the wolf was left standing there...free to do as he pleased.

"**You will relive every moment from you're conception until you're arrival at earth. Every sensation you felt then you will feel again...When you are done..hopefully you will be worth bonding with..."**

"_And If I'm not...If I'm still Garfield Mark Logan..."_

"**You will never be Garfield Mark Logan again he's a face you grew into..."** The wolf padded over till his nose was almost touching Gar's chest... **"You were born ****with the name Zane...****it's time to see what he looks like as a man..."**

**The wolf nudged Gar's chest and his world exploded.**

* * *

So R and R cuz this chap was giving me issues


	14. Important to read Not a chap

I'm putting Shapeshifting on hold...I'm too fucking unstable to even attempt at this story right now...My cousin was molested and her best friend was raped by the same stupid fucker who happened to be part of the family with a new baby on the way... and I want to fucking kill him. He hurt my fucking family...and this probably wasn't the first time he's done this bull shit...If I tried anything with this story every fuckin male in it will be castrated while dying a very violent fucking death...I'll attempt at this later when I don't feel like ripping shit in half and killing every FUCKING rapist who ever lived...


	15. Read it It's important

Alright guys I know most of you are probably all feeling like; stop fuckin with our emotions and putting up fake chaps and update but I cant even tell you how long these last several months have been. First of all thanks to everyone that said something meaningful about my family situation. Long story short the fucker isnt in jail like we wanted after a certain period of time rape is hard to prove. One of my aunts almost broke his jaw though. No one let me at him which pissed me off(DarkGreyWolf I was _this_ close to takin you up on your offer to go fuck him up with me) . Anyways,back on track my cousin and her friend are doing fine now, or as well as can be expected...Um about Shapeshifiting I was going to update a couple of months ago but i had AIMS PSAT and finals among other things, but things are going back to normal. I'm two pages into the next chapter and it'll be posted in the next couple of days. So...yeah

To summarize everythin i just said;

I'm back:)


	16. Birth

Alright so I already thanked everyone for what they said about my family and I missed you all too, and I said Id update this story soon. Well I got a new beta for Shapeshifting and a new chap...um...and there's very little humor in the flashbacks because it's about little kids suffering, and character developing shiz so I didn't know how to make the flashbacks funny. They will get humorous as Gar gets older though promise. Otherwise this story might get painful to write and read:)

Then this is broken down where each section is either a flashback or the present, and I haven't officially gotten into the deep crap in Gar's past but I'll get there..eventually...Anyways R and R. Tell me what you think.

* * *

_(Birth.)_

He gasped for air unable to open his eyes floundering with stiff limbs that had only been used in a condensed space. He pawed the air, and felt nothing. The scruff of his neck tightened as if someone was holding him up.

**That's because someone is holding you up. Brainless pup.**

Okay that was weird. There was a voice in his head.

He heard another voice maybe from the nameless individual holding him by the neck.

"This whelp is puny. He will be small, and weak. It would be best to just kill him now and burn his useless corpse."

…**..what?**

Another unfamiliar voice, higher in tone, and much softer replied. "Don't write him off just yet. Him and his littermate might still be useful."

A brutal snarl erupted from whoever held him and the pup yelped as he was jerked back and forth.

"I doubt this furball could be useful, but we shall see, " the pup could not see this being said or who said it, but the young wolf's other senses were slowly becoming more attuned to his surroundings. He could not see, but he could feel and hear.

He felt himself being examined **like a piece of meat** a dark part of him snarled, his fangs being tested for sharpness, his limbs being prodded for muscles. He felt someone-the person holding him glaring at him in a way that made something inside him cringe.

"Yes we shall…little prince. Little Zane."

The pup heard the voice inside his head snarl viciously in reply.'

* * *

_(Present)_

"Down."

Rayn and Aerin both plopped so they were mere centimeters above the wood.

"Hold."

Rayn glared at the evil wench. They had been doing pushups for hours. Oh no not regular pushups. Rayn's eyes flicked to her left where the ground was beckoning to her…well yunno after an eighty foot drop.

She blinked as a bead of sweat dripped from her nose to the ground below.

Damn. Okay so if she fell from the tree branch it would only hurt a little right?

"Up."

Her arms trembled as she heaved herself up.

Who the hell does pushups in a tree? Why fuck would she EVER need this? Push ups on the ground did the same thing but were obviously better because if your arms were tired you wouldn't fall eighty feet and DIE if you were on the ground. Hell maybe Koza expected them to go to the palace and show off.

They could just show up in front of Aerin's mom and say;

"Hey I know you hate us all and you want to dominate all the changelings and shit but you can't. You know why?...Because we can do pushups on a tree. That's right bitch fear our work out routine!"

Yeah. No.

"Down."

She plopped down with a sigh and heard Aerin do the same.

"You girls can't be tired already."

Rayn grit her teeth as Koza's boots entered her line of vision and said slave driver knelt down so she was closer to their level…

"Your generation is weak. It's rather sad to see the difference in power between your uncle's generation and yours. I suggest you two work harder or risk being liabilities."

Rayn growled, as Koza stood back up and glided away to sit on her branch, and continued mouthing off commands.

"Hold."

Rayn opened her connection with Aerin.

"**I HATE her. How can you take her training without wanting to murder her cranky ass."**

"…_She's right. We need to get stronger or Daja will die."_

"**Well-well…..Damn it who asked you to makes sense?"**

Aerin turned to her and gave her a small innocent smile.

Innocent my ass!

Rayn huffed, as her whole body trembled.

Arms-not-hurting, legs- not -burning, back- not -breaking…

Oh hell…

* * *

(_Past)_

Zane stumbled on the ground next to another pup, that he had identified as sister-his twin sister. His ear twitched, and he didn't move out of the way in time as a heavy hand jackknifed his small body in to the ground. He yelped in pain and shock, not knowing exactly what else to do.

"Little curs...Get up fight back. You will not be weak."

He trembled as he laid on the palace floor, his tiny paws flexing uncertainly in the ground beneath him at his Alpha's command.

Fight. What did that mean?

He heard a tiny high pitched sound next to him.

That noise…

"**She's growling in warning. That's fighting. You need to fight or your father might kill you both now."**

He heard rather than saw his father swiftly grab his littermate and throw her to the floor making the ground beneath him shake.

Something snapped as he heard his twin whine in pain.

He stood shakily on all four paws, growling menacingly, and lunged in the direction of what he assumed was his father's hand. He bit down as hard as his puppy teeth would allow, and as the hand started to move his growls became more ferocious as he refused to let go.

A shock went through his body followed by mind bending pain as he was slammed into something concrete and his grip slackened.

He found himself grabbed roughly by the scruff of his neck, and held unceremoniously in the air.

He felt something in him die, as he heard a dark chuckle.

"_Very_ good. I think I'll keep you."

(_Present_)

"Lady Alanna."

She closed her eyes taking a sip of wine, and enjoyed the sweet burn it left in her throat, and was going to take another sip when she precariously opened one eye, and noticed her servant still stood there fidgeting.

She debated on breaking his legs, and afterwards ripping out his eyes and making him eat them, but decided to restrain herself, banking on the fact that maybe he actually had good news for her.

"Lady Alanna someone tried to poison Daja. If she doesn't receive treatment she will…will.."

Alanna rolled her eyes.

She should have broken his legs.

She sighed and stood from the throne, and brushed pass the still babbling servant. She strode calmly out of the throne room, and headed in the direction of the dungeon, letting her thoughts consume her.

Daja had been a widely respected fighter and guard. She had trained many a warrrior and most of those trainees would rather cut off their left foot before harming her. Alanna, herself had explicitly ordered that Daja NOT be killed because she was still useful to her. There were very few people who hated Daja enough to try and murder her in cold blood and even fewer that would defy a direct order to do it.

Who did that leave?

Well there's….

Severin. He's a turd.

She scowled.

She was going to fucking murder that retarded piece of-

Oh. She's been standing outside the dungeon for who knows how long without even realizing it.

She sighed, rubbing her temples, and forced the barred door open. She bypassed cell after putrid cell before stopping directly in front of Daja's. The woman inside laid unmoving on the floor except for the almost unnoticeable rise and fall of her chest.

Alanna wolf whistled internally.

That bastard really wanted her dead. Poison should not take affect that quickly. Usually it takes longer to render its victim unconscious.

She gently pushed open the cell door, and knelt so she was mere centimeters from her captives face, and could clearly feel her breath on her cheek. She took a long whiff of the stench permeating from the ex-guard's mouth, trying to gleam out the scent of the poison.

Oranges…

She sat back, paling.

The antidote for this…She needed snake venom….and not from a regular snake.

She would need to ask Aerin's father….

Damnit!

* * *

_(Past)_

"These are our pups. They are Alpha's from birth and as such were born as wolves instead of their human form. Treat them as Alphas."

Zane sighed from his seat at his father's voice. He was tired. He had been born less than a day ago, and he had already been subjected to pain most kids will never experience in their life's entirety, and now they had dragged him and his twin to a social gathering of some sort to show them off like brand new toys.

He jumped as he felt a soft body lean into him, and he heard his sister's voice for the first time.

"Do you think they'll hurt us for being tired?"

He wished he could see her while she was talking but his eyes wouldn't open.

"I don't know…I don't even know why he hurt us the first time." A thought struck him. Everyone called him Zane, and his twin wench, whelp, or some other mean sounding word. Did she have a name? "Hey…what's your name?"

His sister shifted against his flank, and said nothing.

He was going to take back his question when she said, "After our…father took you away you didn't meet the other one. I mean you didn't meet our mother. She's…scarier. She grabbed me and took me to another room. She hurt my paw, and it burns now, but she said my name was Alanna…"

He tilted his head to the side.

"Alanna?"

He felt her nod.

"She said Alanna meant mistake."

"**Our mother is a monster."**

For once Zane agreed with the voice in his head.

(_Present)_

The Titans, minus Beastboy, plus his two nieces sat more or less in a heap on the floor of Koza's house.

"That woman is eeeeeevil."

Raven nodded solemnly at Cybog's whining. "Demented."

Nightwing twitched. "Sadistic."

Rayn and Aerin looked at each other, and replied simultaneously. "Menopause."

Without any warning whatsoever both nieces found themselves hammered into the ground, in two distinct craters, with a steaming Koza looking in their general direction.

"I am not on menopause you ungrateful brats. Don't make me come over there!"

Rayn looked up from her crater at her mentor, glancing at the five feet separating them.

"What do you mean over here? You're five feet away from us!"

Koza sneered at her. "You want me to cross that five feet?"

Rayn scrambled back on all fours. "Hell no! Stay on your side of the crater!"

Koza smiled smugly, before ambling back, and walking in the opposite direction. She disappeared into a separate room, and the Titans plus two gave an audible sigh of relief that dissipated seconds later when she reappeared with what looked like well, ungodly large tomes.

She stopped by each Titan and plopped a book in front of them, and without pausing threw books into the crater for each young changeling. Aerin deftly caught her tome, and Rayn…got brained by hers.

"Hey you old bat! You hit me on purpose!"

Koza smirked, and did not reply.

"Alright you all need to train more than your bodies in order to be prepared. You must know our customs and almost everything you need to learn you will find the books I just gave you. Other things I will teach you individually, just as I taught your uncle." She looked in Rayn's general direction. Then she slowly switched her gaze to Aerin. "And just as I taught your mother."

Aerin's eyes widened. "You trained them both?"

Koza chuckled dryly. "I did, and they were my best students. They both worked their asses off-Your mother more so than the young prince-y boy did."

Aerin huffed disbelievingly. "That doesn't sound like her. She gets others to do her dirty work, and when she does work it's purely for her own nefarious purposes."

Koza's unseeing eyes blinked once. "You don't know anything do you? Out of the two of them, your mother suffered more than prince-y boy ever has or ever will. She worked harder than him because at the end of the day the only one she could rely on was herself."

Aerin still looked pissed but said nothing.

Koza sensing her anger retreated from the subject, and smiled cynically.

"Anyways kitties get reading we have more work to do."

There were collective groans from everyone.

* * *

(_Past)_

An insistent prodding against his shoulder, woke Zane from a sound sleep.

"Zane. Wake up."

He groaned and swatted one paw at his sister's face.

The prodding stopped and was soon replaced by a sharp pain at the base of his tail. He yelped and jumped up spastically panting. His twin bit him. It hurt a lot. Why did she bite him? Seriously….

"What? What?"

"Zane I can see. My eyes are open. Can you open yours?"

He paused. Could he open his eyes? He shivered, and with unprecedented care tried to peel one eye open. He stopped as colors filled his vision, blinding him. He shut his eye in a panic, and took deep slow breaths trying to calm himself. could do this…

"**You disgust me. Stop scaring yourself, and just open your eyes pup."**

The voice in his head needed to stop talking It was distracting, and annoying, but he listened to it anyway.

He opened both eyes, and was met with sights that awed him.

He was sitting on a cushion, of varying colors, the walls were a dark color, made of stone that he later found out to be marble, and sitting to his right was a small white puppy free of blemishes of any kind giving him a small puppy grin."

His sister…

A scent became visible. Alanna's scent? No..someone elses…

"Do you smell that?"

Alanna tilted her head in apparent confusion, and tentatively sniffed the air. She began to tremble and let out a small whine, which in turn made Zane perk his ears as the sound of footsteps became coherent.

"**Hide.."**

He didn't have time to listen to the voice that he was slowly becoming accustomed to as his instincts as a woman he didn't recognize stalked into the room. She was slender, and yet muscles defined her body and her stature was that of a queen. Her presence terrified him. Her aura was cold, and her eyes were hard and cruel.

She took one look at him and his sister, and smiled in a way that made him cringe.

"You both can see…good…that means your education can begin."

Training? Weren't they too small to train?"

"**Apparently not…"**

Zane stifled the urge to growl.

"Who are you?"

The woman smirked, practically glowing with malicious intent.

"I am your mother." She turned to look at Alanna, and before he could blink she had his twin by the scruff of her neck and was beginning to stride away with her. "I'm also perfection, and I will make my daughter in my likeness. She will learn everything I teach her, or she will die by my hand." The woman claiming to have birthed him paused and turned to meet his eyes. "You are your father's problem. You're an alpha and will learn to lead as he does or will die horribly in the effort."

She strode out of the room with his twin held captive in her hand.

He whined, angry at his future, his father and his insane mother.

"**Grow strong. Learn from them and you'll be able to destroy them both."**

* * *

_(Present…)._

Alanna twitched, fighting back the urge to kill.

She HATED formal dinners with a passion, but it was the only way she would be allowed to discuss anything with Cyrus-A.K.A the one night stand that produced Aerin. Freakin bastard wouldn't meet her in private because he probably thought she would attempt to murder him. Frankly there would be no ATTEMPT. No he would just DIE.

She drummed her fingers on the table, enjoying the fact that her fingers hitting the table was irritating the crap out of him.

His eye was twitching again.

She barely stopped herself from laughing.

He cleared his throat, and set down his wine glass, leaning back so he could meet her eyes.

That's NOT okay. The dumb ass was challenging her. He knew he was challenging her.

"So let me get this straight. You lost your daughter." She blinked. If she remembered correctly it takes an –x an-y to make Aerin. So biologically speaking Aerin was theirs, not hers alone; get it right you chauvinistic piece of-"and now you captured her bodyguard who could give you leverage in obtaining your daughter back, but one of your subordinates poisoned her, and now you need one of my people's venom to save her."

She had just told him that less than five minutes ago. WHY was he repeating everything again?

"Yes that's the gist of it."

"You obviously can't control your people or handle your kingdom. Explain to me how I benefit from helping you out of your…mess?"

She must have misheard him. Did he really just insult her kingdom and question her competence? She had **skewered** people for less.

Alanna stood up abruptly her chair screeching back and with iron will held back a snarl. "Do not question me! My kingdom and it's people have learned to fear and respect me. I am their Alpha!"

Perhaps it was karma, or maybe it was just bad luck, but at that precise moment the doors to the dining hall burst open and an out of breath servant ran in, pale faced and drenched in sweat.

"Lady Alanna, the rogues have killed again, and this time they left a message!"

Alanna scowled, and heard Cyrus chuckling across from her.

"Your kingdom is handled?"

It was all Alanna could do to not reach across the table and strangle him.

* * *

_(Present)_

Raven meditated trying vainly to clear her thoughts.

This had been an exhausting couple of days. She had not been this tired since joining the Titans. Gar had been gone for three days, and in that time Koza had pushed them past physical exhaustion during the day, and at night expected them push themselves even further by studying her books. No one questioned her realizing the necessity behind the training, but hell it was intense because sadly, the Titans even with all their fighting experience did not hold a candle to Koza.

It was like after Trigon, Terra, Brotherhood of Evil…None of it meant ANYTHING on this planet. Apparently the warriors here were on in entirely different level of fighting all their own, and the Titans had to scramble to catch up.

Raven sighed. They had six months to train.

Gar had three months to tame his beast, and another three months to train himself all over again….

This sucked.

* * *

Koza rubbed her eyes, blinking away exhaustion.

She was too old for this shit.

She should be retired on her own damn island, but noooooooo…she had to help her crazy ass student do the impossible, with his brat friends.

These kids were definitely NOT ready to go to war against Alanna, and she doubted they would be ready in the next few months. She wasn't kidding when she said she was not a miracle worker, and these pups needed a miracle.

She shifted through her cupboards.

She could smell alcohol. That's all she currently wanted was booze. She felt the edge of a bottle, and heard the sweet liquid slosh around.

Koza smiled and grabbed the bottle, unscrewed the cap and took a big sip.

Not that she was an alcoholic. She just like to drink in the morning…and the afternoon….and some nights…

…..Don't freakin judge her.

On top of everything else, every person she was currently training needed a reality check, on how they're going to have to behave if they want to survive in the palace.

She mentally checked them off.

Rayn; Prince-y boy's niece needs to think a little bit more instead of rashly running into potentially dangerous situations and dragging Aerin along with her. She also needs to learn control over her powers and focus more on her training.

Aerin; The other niece is basically trained, but needs to handle her mother issues and help temper her cousin.

Tin-man; He's also disturbingly rash, and high strung; He needs to rely less on brute strength and technological toys, and work more on his flexibility and hand to hand skills.

Raven; She lacks physical training…She needs to work on her emotions as well as her close combat skills, among other things.

And then there were the last two.

She grimaced and looked despairingly at her almost empty bottle of booze.

She didn't know how to fix Dickwad and his bubbly sidekick. They should really be sent back to earth.

Regardless, she had six months to fix them all.

She snarled angrily and finished off the rest of her booze.

She was going to kick Zane's ass after all of this was over.

* * *

(_Past_…)

Zane shuffled his bleeding paws on the ground, the chains laced around his body clinking dismally in the silence as his father- Leviathan's, glare burned into the back of his skull.

His father had picked him up after Alanna had been taken away. He had unceremoniously been put in chains and dumped into a training room alone with the man in the middle of the night. He wasn't allowed to leave until he changed into his human form, an ability he's supposed to naturally acquire over time.

He didn't have time. He needed to learn it now. He glanced at the sharp object in his father's hand that had already been stained with his blood. Preferably in the next couple of seconds...

"**Focus…"**

It hurts. His muscles ached, His paws kept bleeding. He didn't know how to focus. He wasn't even two weeks old yet.

"**Age means nothing. You have to focus or he won't stop hurting you. Forget this form and the wolf. Look at your father's face, his body structure, and imagine yourself taking on a similar form."**

Zane trembled, but closed his eyes blocking out everything. He imagined a smaller form of his father, one with a slighter frame, and smaller muscles, tiny hands, and petite feet. All at once he felt himself changing, his paws caving in and becoming something else, his fur shedding, and becoming smooth.

He opened his eyes, and everything felt wrong.

He held up one arm, and saw a human hand. The chains that once held his paws now encircled wrists, and he could blatantly see angry red lines on his new skin.

"I don't…understand…"

He jumped at his own voice. He didn't know he had verbally made known his confusion. Um. Oops

He jumped again when his father actually answered his question. "We are called shapeshifters. We can change into any form we please, but there are only two forms we were _meant_ to be. That is the form you are in now, and the wolf you were before."

Zane nodded slowly, wondering if he should ask another question and risk getting cut by the blade again.

"**Ask…"**

"What if we do change into other forms?"

His father's face darkened considerably. "It is quite possibly the most painful thing you will ever experience."

* * *

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